Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
This week saw a lot of metal bands rank either higher than their previous release or for the first time ever. But the highest rock debut comes from Christian metalcore group The Devil Wears Prada’s new EP Zombie. This marks the band’s highest ranking release, though not by much. Though 2009’s With Roots Above Branches Below only ranked at #11, it did sell 31,000 copies, compared to Zombie’s 24,600. Whether or not this is a sign of weaker album sales, this is still a great first week for The Devil Wears Prada and all an all a good one for metal as well.
Notable Debuts:
The Devil Wears Prada, Zombie EP (Ferret) #10, 24,600
The EP’s theme surrounds a zombie apocalypse due to singer Mike Hranica’s interest in the subject. Well that wasn’t obvious. If you wanna get technical, Jesus was the original zombie. O.Z.!
Apocalyptica, 7th Symphony (Jive) #31, 12,900 sold
Their new record marks their highest chart appearance to date (2007’s Worlds Collide debuted at #59). The song with Gojira’s Joseph Duplantier is monstrous.
The Sword, Warp Riders (Kemado) #47, 9,000 sold
Their last album, 2008’s Gods Of The Earth only reached #102 on the charts (selling a little more than 7,400). So in other words, this truly is a great week for The Sword.
Blind Guardian, At the Edge of Time (Nuclear Blast) #105, 4,400 sold
The German power metallers sell over 1,000 copies more than their previous album, 2006’s A Twist In The Myth. A very good first week for them indeed.
Kataklysm, Heaven’s Venom (Nuclear Blast) #197, 2,400 sold
Guess this is one band that got a big boost from appearing on Ozzfest. Very impressive first week.
The Showdown, Blood in the Gears (Solid State) 1,600 sold
Their new album comes just in time for their Fall tour with Becoming The Archetype.
Malevolent Creation, Invidious Dominion (Nuclear Blast) 990 sold
Their impressive first week on the charts is a nice way to celebrate the return of original bassist Jason Blachowicz.
Ion Dissonance, Cursed (Century Media) 540 sold
The band might have shifted towards using clean vocals, but at least over 500 fans don’t seem to mind.
Notable Sales:
Iron Maiden, The Final Frontier (UMe) #20, 18,700 sold
Iron Maiden might be down 70% in their second week, but sold enough to keep them in the top twenty. They’ll be close to 100,000 sold next week, and will almost surely reach that frontier the week after.
Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare (Warner Bros.) #24, 17,300 sold
Ten spots down the charts from last week still shows Avenged Sevenfold’s lasting power. And I’m sure the Uproar Tour will help keep this album floating around on the charts.
Godsmack, Oracle (Universal) #61, 6,800 sold
Sully Erna has posted audio samples of his entire solo album Avalon online. Yay?
Black Label Society, Order of the Black (E1) #64, 6,600 sold
Another 40% decrease for Zakk Wylde and the gang in their third week. Still holding up nicely though, with over 50,000 bikers and metalheads satisfied.
Five Finger Death Punch, War is the Answer (Prospect Park) #67, 6,300 sold
More dates have been added to Five Finger Death Punch’s tour with Godsmack and Drowning Pool, meaning that we can expect to see the album on the charts for a while longer.
Ozzy Osbourne, Scream (Epic) #80, 5,300 sold
Ozzy slips 23 slots down the charts. Maybe the “tour edition” of this album will give it a boost.
Buckcherry, All Night Long (Eleven Seven) #106, 4,400 sold
Maybe fans are just “Too Drunk” to buy this album. Or they just didn’t care…yeah they probably just don’t care.
AC/DC, AC/DC: Iron Man 2 (Columbia) #114, 4,000 sold
Come to think of it, I only recall actually hearing maybe two or three AC/DC songs during Iron Man 2. Soundtrack my ass!
Korn, Korn III: Remember Who You Are (Roadrunner) #118, 4,000 sold
Korn’s kept a presence on the charts for the past seven weeks, but with the steep fall down the charts, it may not last much longer.
Hellyeah, Stampede (Epic) #122, 3,700 sold
Well looky here, you can buy Stampede for just $5 throughout the month of September over at Amazon!
Bullet For My Valentine, Fever (Jive) #130, 3,400 sold
Only a 6% decrease from last week. This crab girl isn’t budging.
Motley Crue, Greatest Hits (Motley Records) #135, 3,300 sold
We gave them a break last week because of their great performance at Ozzfest, and seeing as how their billionth hits package had a pretty hefty drop down the charts, we’ll let it slide again (though seriously, what the hell?!).
In This Moment, A Star-Crossed Wasteland (Century Media) #141, 3,200 sold
After being absent last week, the band returns to have another moment on the charts.
Deftones, Diamond Eyes (Reprise) #199, 2,300 sold
The Deftones tie with country star Justin Moore to just make it in the top 200 this week.
Pierce The Veil, Selfish Machines (Equal Vision), 540 sold
A 51% decrease sees the band sell around half of what they sold last week.
Kingdom of Sorrow, Behind the Blackest Tears 470 sold
Even without Kirk, Kingdom Of Sorrow did a great set at Ozzfest this past Summer.
Boris & Ian Astbury, BXI (Southern Lord) 450 sold
Just a little less than half than what the super combo sold in their first week.
We Came As Romans, To Plant A Seed (Equal Vision) 400 sold
Literally the same amount as last week….Literally!
36 Crazyfists, Collisions and Castaways (Ferret) 380 sold
An 18% decrease from last week. 5 weeks after its release and it might not be sticking around for another one.
