Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
In case you somehow weren’t aware, Tool is not only coming out with a new album at the end of the month, but they’ve finally made their discography available for streaming. It didn’t take long for album sales to surge, and now you can find all four studio albums and the Opiate EP at the top of the Billboard. It looks like this:
Ænima, #5, 18,425 sold
Lateralus, #7, 15,950 sold
10,000 Days, #9, 14,600 sold
Undertow, #11, 14,350 sold
Opiate EP, #12, 9,650 sold
Needless to say, people are pretty amped about being able to stream/digitally purchase Tool’s discography, bringing an end to one of the last big holdouts of the digital music age. We were pretty stoked about it too, so much so that we discussed out favorite Tool tracks on a recent Headbanger’s Brawl. Hopefully you’re not sick of hearing about the band too much because the Tool train is going strong.
Notable Debuts:
Skillet, Victorious (Atlantic)Debut #3
22,000 sold
Skillet’s new album made the top 5, though it didn’t sell as much as its predecessor.
Volbeat, Rewind, Replay, Rebound (Republic)Debut #5
16,775 sold
Volbeat have another top 5 debut. It sold less than half of its predecessor’s first week.
Russian Circles, Blood Year (Sargent House)Debut #24
3,200 sold
The band’s seventh album marks their highest charting album yet.
Carnifex, World War X (Nuclear Blast)Debut #41
2,100 sold
This didn’t have as good a debut as Slow Death in 2016.
Bad Omens, Finding God Before God Finds Me (Sumerian)Debut #56
1,625 sold
The band’s second album marks their best debut yet.
Northlane, Alien (UNFD)Debut #62
1,425 sold
This charted higher, sold lower than Northlane’s surprise release in 2017.
Notable Sales:
Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody(Hollywood)
#18 (from 18)
4,175 sold
This holds the same chart position after a 6% drop.
Breaking Benjamin, Ember (Hollywood)#52 (from 45)
1,675 sold
A 17% drop.
Greta Van Fleet, 
Sabaton, The Great War (Nuclear Blast)#94 (from 56)
1,025 sold
A 43% drop.
Soundgarden, Soundgarden: Live From The Artists Den (UMe)#103 (from 23)
910 sold
A second week drop of 77%.
I Prevail, 
Godsmack, 
Scott Stapp, The Space Between The Shadows (Napalm)#129 (from 85)
770 sold
Here’s an album I missed. It debuted three weeks ago at #10 and has sold just under 8,500 units.
Disturbed, 
Godsmack, 
Mötley Crüe, 
Shinedown, 
Sum 41, Order In Decline (Hopeless)#153 (from 101)
670 sold
Another album I missed. This debuted at #8 and has sold over 10,200 units.
Rammstein, 
Def Leppard, The Story So Far: The Best of Def Leppard (UMC)#189 (re-entry)
560 sold
An 18% boost brings this back up.
Thy Art Is Murder, A second week drop of 81%.
Sleep Signals, 
Torche, Admission (Relapse)310 sold
A 20% drop. Also, I finally listened to this album and it’s dope.
Tomb Mold, 
Awake At Last, 
Abbath, 
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, 
David Ellefson, Sleeping Giants (EMP)170 sold
This sold the same as last week.
Rival Sons, 
John 5, 
Sanction, Broken In Refraction (Pure Noise)140 sold
A drop of 86%.
Joe Satriani, Squares(Earmusic)140 sold
This got boosted back up after dropping off last week.
Year of the Knife, Ultimate Aggression(Pure Noise)130 sold
This got boosted back up a few months after dropping off.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Polygondwanaland (Blood Music)130 sold
This pops up again.
