Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week
So right after this paragraph is usually where we list the notable metal debuts of the week. That’s not going to happen this week, because nothing came out last week. That’s to be expected in the beginning of the year. Also to be expected is a post-holidays decline in sales. And boy did that ever happen this week. When the #1 album only sells 52,000 copies, you kinda get the idea of what you’re in for. So even though his album’s country, former rap-rocker Kid Rock has the biggest metal-leaning record. Looking beyond the techo-ish Linkin Park record and the heavy pop-punk A Day To Remember, Avenged Sevenfold really have this week’s biggest metal album, with the months-old Nightmare.
Notable Sales:
Kid Rock, Born Free (Atlantic) #17, 21,700 sold
Same chart position as last week for Kid. BTW Bob, question about your album. WHO’S DRIVING?!
Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns (Warner Bros.) #39, 11,120 sold
Linkin Park’s sales slip even more, despite slowly crawling back up the charts. Get it? Crawling? See what we did there?
A Day To Remember, What Separates Me from You (Victory) #78, 5,860 sold
A 42% decrease from last week, though we’ll see if their performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and cameo-filled video last night will help sales.
Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare (Warner Bros.) #70, 5,740 sold
Looking back on the year 2010, one could argue that A7X had the best year in regards to metal releases. Though they weren’t the only metal/hard rock releases to debut at #1, A7X were one of the only band’s to out-sell their previous releases (Disturbed , Linkin Park and Godsmack all debuted at #1 but sold considerably less than their new album’s predecessors). Plus, even after 24 weeks they’ve continued to constantly find themselves in the top 100.
Disturbed, Asylum (Reprise) #82, 5,640 sold
Just like A7X this week, Disturbed experiences a 40% decrease from last week.
Five Finger Death Punch, War is the Answer (Prospect Park) #100, 4,890 sold
Just made it into the top 100 despite a slight decrease from last week, proving that even after 68 weeks FFDP won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. With 420,000 sold so far, this will be a gold album.
Godsmack, Oracle (Universal) #157, 2,880 sold
After 36 weeks, the band has sold over 433,000 copies. Guess people still aren’t tired of hearing Sully Erna’s voice. I know at least one Metal Insider writer that sure is though.
All That Remains For We Are Many (Prosthetic/Razor & Tie) #158, 2,870 sold
A 42% decrease hints that ATR’s return to the charts might not last much longer.
Alter Bridge, AB III (Alter Bridge Recordings/Capitol) #161, 2,830 sold
Moves 21 spots up the charts despite experiencing a 23% decrease in sales. Maybe when Myles joins Velvet Revolver, sales will jump up.
Stone Sour, Audio Secrecy (Roadrunner) #174, 2,650 sold
If Corey Taylor and co. are lucky, their upcoming tour with Avenged Sevenfold (which kicks off next week) will help sales out.
Flyleaf, Remember to Live (Octone) #187, 2,490 sold
Haven’t seen this release on the charts since its debuted the week before holiday break. Guess the holidays didn’t help these Christian rockers sell more copies.
Asking Alexandria, Stand up and Scream (Sumerian) 1,470 sold
Despite the slip in sales, Asking Alexandra can now claim they’ve had two releases chart back to back not just in one week, but…
Asking Alexandria, Life Gone Wild EP (Sumerian) 1,400 sold
In TWO consecutive weeks! This simply leaves us to ask….really?!
The Damned Things, Ironiclast (Island) 1,350 sold
We have to admit that we were a bit disturbed to hear that these guys will be on tour with Buckcherry soon, along with Hellyeah and All That Remains. However, with sales as low as they are for their debut album, this supergroup needs all the exposure they can get.
We Came As Romans, To Plant A Seed (Equal Vision) 900 sold
Apparently We Came As Romans guitarist has been hospitalized with bacterial meningitis. We hope he has a speedy recovery.
Volbeat, Beyond Hell/Above Heaven (Universal) 750 sold
Despite their global success, this 50’s metal garage band just hasn’t broken big in the States. Maybe their tour with The Damned Things will help.
Agalloch, Marrow of the Spirit (Profound Lore) 700 sold
Experiencing only a 12% decline, the latest Agalloch album is steadily selling, with over 5,500 sold.
Woe, Is Me, Number[s] (Velocity/Rise) 530 sold
So we decided to give their cover of “Tik Tok” a listen….never thought anything could sound worse than the original version…..
Pierce the Veil, Selfish Machines (Equal Vision) 500 sold
In eight weeks, Pierce the Veil has sold over 24,300 copies, which leads us to ask the following: who’s buying this album?!
After the Burial, In Dreams (Sumerian) 500 sold
Like Piece the Veil this week, After the Burial experiences a more than 40% decline. They’re inching towards 10,000 sold though.
Kylesa, Spiral Shadow (Season Of Mist) 460 sold
Not too far off from last week, but still far less than this album should be selling.
OFF!, The First Four EPs (Vice) 400 sold
This punk/hardcore supergroup might be off the charts soon. Cheesiest line of the day, anyone?
Oceano, Contagion (Earache) 390 sold
In case you were planning to see Oceano live tonight in Lancaster, CA, the venue has been changed from the Cedar Center to Mango Tango. Who looks out for you?!
Helloween, 7 Sinners (The End) 370 sold
With Blind Guardian absent this week, Helloween can finally say they are the top selling German power metal act this week. Wunderbar!!
Halford, Halford IV: Made of Metal (Metal God) 340 sold
He said in a recent interview that fans shouldn’t be sad about Judas Priest retiring. However, if I had a solo album that was selling as low as Halford’s is, I’d be sad to see the band that made me famous go. Not to mention, the guy went from singing about the ripper and the painkiller to “The Mower.” Really?
Holy Grail, Crisis in Utopia (Prosthetic) 330 sold
Holy Grail return to the charts after an eleven week absence…HOLY CRAP!
