This past week was a huge one for metal. As you saw last Monday, there were an assload of new releases, but that didn’t stop metal fans from supporting their favorite bands. In fact, if you count Skillet, three of the top ten albums in America are metal, with August Burns Red getting their first top ten album. Elsewhere, Amon Amarth have a stellar debut, Queensryche outsells the other Queensryche by more than 2 to 1, and Attila’s latest collection of bitch-punching anthems gives them a chart high.
Notable Debuts:
August Burns Red, Rescue & Restore (Solid State) #9, 25,700 sold
While their last non-holiday album, Leveler, sold about 3,300 more, this is the metalcore band’s first top ten album. It’s great artist development for Solid State, and they should be commended.
Amon Amarth, Deceiver of the Gods (Metal Blade) #19, 16,700 sold
This is easily the best-performing album for Amon Amarth. They didn’t even chart on the Billboard 200 until 2006’s With Oden on Our Side, and 2011’s Surtur Rising didn’t make it past 34. Looks like the band’s ship has finally come in – and wound up onstage with them.
Attila, About That Life (Razor & Tie) #22, 14,300 sold
The deathcore party rock band have a gigantic week for fifth album. The misogynistic deathcore rap-rock album, which features songs like “Shots for the Boys” and “Break Shit,” proves that there’s still an appetite for dumbed down party anthems, and Attila are proving to be here to stay (just like Limp Bizit thought they were about a decade ago).
Queensrÿche, Queensrÿche (Century Media) #23, 13,500 sold
This has to be somewhat of a wake up call for Geoff Tate. The band have been saying from the get go that this album was going to be heavier and more of a return to their roots. And while it’s going to be a few months until we find out which incarnation of the band will get to retain the name, the fans have spoken.
Palms, Palms (Ipecac) #53, 6,900 sold
This is a huge week for the band, which features 3/5ths of Isis and Deftones frontman Chino Moreno. Not sure how the album managed to sell 500 copies of the album last week.
Bret Michaels, Jammin’ With Friends (Poorboy) 5,400 sold
Don’t need nothin’ but a good time. And maybe some sales. But if you’ve ever wanted to hear what Poison’s frontman covering Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” sounded like, this is your chance.
Havok, Unnatural Selection (Candlelight) #154, 2,500 sold
A great start for the band’s sophomore album. Their last one didn’t even sell 700 copies first week.
Dio, Magica (Deluxe Edition) (Niji) 1,800 sold
Hard to believe it took Dio until 1999 to make a concept album.
Extol, Extol (Facedown) 1,000 sold
The Norwegian Christian progressive metal band’s first album in eight years arrives with a modest first week.
Deeds of Flesh, Portals to Canaan (Unique Leader) 985 sold
The band’s eighth album, and first in five years, does ok.
Scorpion Child, Scorpion Child (Nuclear Blast) 900 sold
Not a bad beginning for Scorpion Child. The band’s past touring with Clutch and future touring should help the ’70s rock revivalists gain some more fans.
Night Verses, Lift Your Existence (Easy Killer) 425 sold
This band’s debut album has a slow start, but their touring should help turn more people on to them.
Sister Sin, Dance of the Wicked (Victory) 400 sold
This newly-remastered version of the band’s first album didn’t seem to appeal to too many people.
Orphaned Land, All is One (Century Media) 400 sold
This Israeli metal band’s 5th album sold more albums than any Palestinian bands on Metal by Numbers this week. At least we think it did.
Chthonic, Bu-Til (Spinefarm) 266 sold
Not a great beginning for the Taiwanese band’s latest. They might wanna get drunk and Taiwan on.
Notable Sales
Black Sabbath, 13 (Universal) #10, 25,300 sold
With 250,000 sold in just three weeks, this will be halfway to gold in a few weeks, and is still in the top ten. That’s kinda great.
Queens Of The Stone Age, …Like Clockwork (Matador) #42, 8,450 sold
Queens Of The Stone Age are at about 135,000 sold in four weeks. 
Falling In Reverse, Fashionably Late (Epitaph) #67, 6,000 sold
A big 70% drop in week two shows that the band is falling, but not in reverse.
Various Artists, 2013 Warped Tour Compilation (Side One Dummy) #68, 6,000 sold
A nice 22% increase for this compilation album.
Sleeping With Sirens, Feel (Rise) #72, 5,700 sold
Slowly making its way to 100,000 sold, it’s sold about 85,000 in just four weeks.
Alice In Chains, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (Virgin) #74, 5,500 sold
The band’s fifth album broke the 100,000 sales mark this week.
Bring Me The Horizon, Sempiternal (Epitaph) #110, 3,650 sold
This sold the exact same as it did last week, pushing their fourth album over 70,000.
Megadeth, Super Collider (UMe) #112, 3,600 sold
This has sold about 50,000 so far.
Halestorm, The Strange Case Of… (Atlantic) #124, 3,125 sold
Did this sell about the same as it did last week? Hale yeah it did!
Volbeat, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies (Universal/Republic) #141, 2,700 sold
This will cross 100,000 sold in its 13th week next week.
30 Seconds To Mars, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (Virgin) #142, 2,700 sold
I’m all out of My So-Called Life jokes to make.
Black Veil Brides, Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones (Lava/Universal Republic) #158, 2,500 sold
This has sold 122,000 in 23 weeks.
The Black Dahlia Murder, Everblack (Metal Blade) #177, 2,200 sold
Creeping up towards 19,000 sold in its third week, this is a solid performance from a death metal album.
Rob Zombie, Venemous Rat Regeneration Vendor (T-Boy/UMe) #187, 2,100 sold
This had a modest 2% increase in sales, which will probably increase with a full week of Mayhem Fest shows under its belt.
Shinedown, Amaryllis (Atlantic) #190, 2,000 sold
Ooooohh, heaven let your light Shinedown….
Killswitch Engage, Disarm The Descent (Roadrunner) #194, 2,000 sold
This will hit 100,000 sold in the next few weeks.
Deafheaven, Sunbather (Deathwish) 1175 sold
This has an 18% increase in sales this week. Buzz about the album appears to be growing.
Affiance, Campaign (Ingrooves) 750 sold
A huge 50% increase from last week shows that they must be making a nice impression on their tour with Killswitch Engage.
Crown The Empire, The Fallout (Rise) 600 sold
This is about the same as last week. But what empire are they talking about? If it’s any empire other than the Ottoman, that’s a load of crap.
Scale The Summit, The Migration (Prosthetic) 525 sold
This crosses 5,000 this week.
Black Star Riders, All Hell Breaks Loose (Nuclear Blast) 400 sold
Remember when Thin Lizzy put out an album but didn’t call themselves that?
Dark Tranquillity, Construct (Century Media) 325 sold
This will hit 5,000 next week.
Upon a Burning Body, Red, White Green (Sumerian) 300 sold
This has sold about 22,000 in the year or so it’s been out, and re-enters the chart this week.
The Amity Affliction, Chasing Ghosts (Roadrunner) 275 sold
Also re-entering the charts are these guys, who’s album debuted at #1 in their home country of Australia.
Kylesa, Ultraviolet (Season of Mist) 250 sold
This should cross 5,000 next week.
