Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
This week, the top metal/hard rock debuts are two compilations and a live album. However, it’s Animals As Leaders who without question have the best week out of all the metal releases on the charts. The instrumental prog/ djent metal trio’s sophomore album (and first to feature drummer Navene Koperweis and guitarist Javier Reyes) cracks the top 80 to sell over 6,000 copies in its first week. Pretty damn impressive sales for any technically driven progressive metal group, let alone an instrumental band.
Notable Debuts:
Disturbed, The Lost Children (Reprise) #13, 43,220 sold
Guess this proves that even Disturbed’s b-sides can sell well. Although we’re sure that all the talk surrounding their “indefinite hiatus” help sales slightly. That said, while this isn’t a proper studio album, it’s their first album not to debut at #1 since their sophomore album, Believe.
Rush, Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland (Roadrunner) #50, 11,120 sold
The DVD version of this live compilation includes this hysterical intro. This also marks the first official Rush release via their new label home Roadrunner Records.
As I Lay Dying, Decas (Metal Blade) #57, 9,520 sold
The metalcore group’s 10th anniversary compilation, featuring three new studio tracks, four covers, and four remix tracks, has a very impressive first week. And we’re sure their Decade of Destruction Tour with Of Mice and Men, The Ghost Inside, iwrestledabearonce and Sylosis will gives sales a boost as well.
Animals As Leaders, Weightless (Prosthetic) #80, 6,070 sold
Tosin Abasi and co.’s current tour with Between The Buried And Me and TesseracT probably had a big hand in their sophomore album’s strong first week on the charts.
Like Moths To Flames, When We Don’t Exist (Rise) 1,950 sold
The deathcore group’s latest album has a strong first week, and we’re sure that there appearance on the Thrash & Burn tour will further help.
A Plea For Purging, The Life & Death of A Plea for Purging (Facedown) 1,590 sold
A solid first week for the metalcore group’s fourth album.
Mike Patton, The Solitude Of Prime Numbers (Ipecac) 500 sold
The Faith No More singer’s score to The Solitude Of Prime Numbers actually came out on November 1, but didn’t chart until this week. Maybe all the suspense surrounding Faith No More’s “mysterious song” gave the score a boost in sales.
Notable Sales:
Five Finger Death Punch, American Capitalist (Prospect Park) #41, 13,300 sold
In five weeks, FFDP have sold a little less than 166,000 copies of their third album. It’ll take a lot longer than it did with their first two albums for American Capitalist to go gold, but if they keep selling like this, they’l definitely get there.
Evanescence, Evanescence (Wind-Up) #42, 13,260 sold
Amy Lee and co. have fallen 14 spots down the charts thanks in part to a 22% decrease in sales in their fifth week.
Megadeth, TH1RT3EN (Roadrunner) #53, 10,780 sold
The thrash legends may have experienced a 74% decrease in sales in their second week on the charts, kicking them out of the top 50. However, at least Dave Mustaine can say for a second week in a row that he sold more records than Metallica. And 10,780 records is a super solid second week.
Foo Fighters, Wasting Light (RCA) #122, 3,830 sold
An 11% increase in sales for Dave Grohl and co. We can name at least one person, though, who hasn’t bought this record.
Steel Panther, Balls Out (Universal) #127, 3,620 sold
A 69% decrease finds the humorous hair metal band 89 spots down the charts in their second week, making it less likely that they’ll hit Satchel’s estimate of selling 4 to 5 million copies anytime soon.
Lou Reed and Metallica, Lulu (Warner Bros.) #149, 3,150 sold
Though some sources are reporting that Lulu dropped off the top 200 completely, it won’t be too much longer before it actually does. A 76% decrease is normally expected for most releases in its second week (especially for an album as critically panned as this one). However, this is a big bomb for any Metallica release.
Staind, Staind (Atlantic) #155, 2,930 sold
The post-nu metal group have sold slightly more than 100,000 copies of their seventh album.
Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot III (eOne) #162, 2,860 sold
Sammy Hagar and his supergroup drop 31 spots down the charts in their seventh week. And soon, we may finally know the answer to “which is better: Chickenfoot or new Van Halen.”
Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare (Warner Bros.) #170, 2,750 sold
We knew that Nightmare was a pretty personal album for A7X following the death The Rev, but apparently recording the album caused a lot of stress for singer M. Shadows.
Mastodon, The Hunter (Reprise) #186, 2,530 sold
Despite only experiencing a 14% decrease in sales, Mastodon drop down the charts by 39 spots, and find themselves 14 spots away from exiting the top 200 all together.
Anthrax, Worship Music (Megaforce) #199, 2,350 sold
After a solid nine weeks on the charts, the thrash legends find themselves one spot away from exiting the top 200.
Volbeat, Beyond Hell/Above Heaven (Universal) 1,350 sold
Congrats to the Danish garage metal group, as their latest release has been on the charts for about a year now. During that time, they’ve sold just under 53,000 copies.
Russian Circles, Empros (Sargent House) 760 sold
A modest 4% decrease in sales shows that this Chicago instrumental trio could last a little while longer on the charts.
Carnifex, Until I Feel Nothing (Victory) 650 sold
Another 33% decrease for the deathcore group in their third week. Hopefully their current tour with Born Of Osiris and Veil Of Maya will help sales out a little more.
Skinny Puppy, hanDover (Synthetic Symphony) 570 sold
The Canadian industrial group experiences another 41% decrease in their third week on the charts.
La Dispute, Wildlife (No Sleep) 490 sold
Literally only a 1% boost in sales from last week. No disputing this album’s lasting power.
Memphis May Fire, The Hollow (Rise) 390 sold
The Southern metalcore group once again reappear on the charts out of nowhere.
Skeletonwitch, Forever Abomination (Prosthetic) 390 sold
Who plans on going to WSOU’s 25th anniversary concert, featuring Chimaira, Unearth and Skeletonwitch, this Friday?
Red Fang, Murder the Mountains (Relapse) 360 sold
After being absent from the charts for the past four months, the stoner rock group suddenly make their return. Guess their tour with Mastodon and The Dillinger Escape Plan is paying off. And soon Red Fang will be filming another music video with same director behind this one.
