Never mind the superstition, this Friday the 13th is all about metal and down at V-Gen in Paceville, there’s an explosive triple bill all set to raise the roof on the night.

The 2012 edition of the Subkultfest will feature none other than Doom metal titans Forsaken, alongside Shadowborne and X-Vandals, three of Malta’s leading metal acts coming together to help raise awareness and funds for the Subculture Animal Friends campaign.

The organisation is essentially run by a nucleus of five people, namely musicians Ray Micallef and Ray ‘il-Baħri’ Schembri, Charlotte Bellizzi, 10-year-old Karen Micallef and her mother Carmen.

“Our vision is to raise animal awareness through booklets in the Maltese language which we publish and distribute for free to students attending state schools,” Micallef explained.

This year Subculture Animal Friends are embarking on the second phase of the project, namely that of printing and distributing some 10,500 booklets to all Year 4, 5 and 6 students in Malta and Gozo.

“The aim is that through these books we do not only reach the children but their families too. The Subkultfest is another way to reach out and promote our cause, and I wish to thank all the local bands who give us a helping hand through their participation.”

Subkultfest 2012 will take place at V-Gen on Friday. Doors open at 9.30 p.m. Entrance is €5, with the fee going towards the fundraising campaign. For more information, look for the Subkultfest page on Facebook.