Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
This week, out of the four metal-related debuts, three of the releases come from the post-hardcore genre. Out of the three, it’s Silverstein’s fifth studio album Rescue, that has the best first week. Though it may not exactly be their highest ranking or selling album (that goes to 2007’s Arrivals & Departures, which debuted at #25 and sold around 27,000 copies), the band’s new album still has a solid debut and ranks in only a few spots lower than their last album, 2009’s A Shipwreck In The Sand.
On a side note, you know that it’s a slow week on the charts when this week’s #2 spot (Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light in its third week) only sells less than 35,000 copies. A sign that no big debuts came out this week? Yes, but also a sign of how bad album sales are actually doing.
Notable Debuts:
Silverstein, Rescue (Hopeless) #37, 11,060 sold
The band’s fifth album is also their first with Hopeless Records.
Otep, Atavist (Victory) #58, 6,970 sold
Considering that Otep Shamaya is now the only original member of the group, their fifth studio album has a decent first week. Although, it’s first week’s sales are considerably lower than 2009’s Smash The Control Machine (which debuted at #47 and sold around 10,400 copies).
Memphis May Fire, The Hollow (Rise) #109, 4,040 sold
The Southern post-hardcore group’s second full length album, and first with Rise Records, has a solid first week.
Texas in July, One Reality (Equal Vision) #139, 3,260 sold
The band’s first album with new guitarist Chris Davis and Equal Vision records also has a solid first week, and is the third post-hardcore metal debut of the week (along with Silverstein and Memphis May Fire).
Primordial, Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand (Metal Blade) 800 sold
Ireland’s very own Celtic black metal band’s seventh album has a decent first week.
Destrophy, Cry Havoc (Victory) 560 sold
Not an amazing first week, but it’s not like there are any other metal bands from Iowa that are…oh wait….
Hope for the Dying, Dissimulation (Facedown) 530 sold
This Christian metalcore group might want start hoping that sales increase soon.
Notable Sales:
Foo Fighters, Wasting Light (RCA) #2, 34,340 sold
Despite a 52% decrease in sales during their third week, Dave Grohl and co. actually jump one spot up to #2.
Hollywood Undead, American Tragedy (A&M/Octone) #30, 11,900 sold
A 37% decrease isn’t enough to kick these rapcore kings out of the top 30.
Kid Rock, Born Free (Atlantic) #51, 7,410 sold
Though only falling six spots down the charts, the one time American badass experiences his biggest decrease in sales in a long time by 39%.
Asking Alexandria, Reckless and Relentless (Sumerian) #98, 4,280 sold
This week, the band is 2 spots away from exiting the top 100, with a 37% decrease in sales.
Five Finger Death Punch, War is the Answer (Prospect Park) #98, 4,210 sold
FFDP jump up the charts by 27 spots despite a 2% decrease. That might be a good distraction for the band from their current bassist woes.
Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare (Warner Bros.) #134, 3,400 sold
A7X’s “Not Ready To Die,” which is featured in video game Call Of Duty: Black Ops’ expansion map Call Of The Dead, is available download via iTunes. Dare we say, it’s a damn good song to listen to while killing video game zombies.
Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns (Warner Bros.) #141, 3,230 sold
A 27% decrease sees LP fall 16 spots down the charts.
Winds of Plague, Against the World (Century Media) #57, 8,750 sold
The metalcore group experiences a 69% decrease that sees them falling a whopping 121 spots down the charts. Guess the The Ultimate Warrior’s contribution to the album wasn’t enough to attract more attention. Though their Warped Tour appearance this year will likely give sales a boost…or so they hope.
Disturbed, Asylum (Reprise) #183, 2,650 sold
With a 23% decrease, Disturbed falls 16 spots down the charts. It’s safe to say that after a 35 week run, the band’s time on the charts may be coming to an end soon.
A Day To Remember, What Separates Me from You (Victory) #189, 2,550 sold
A 21% decrease also sees ADTR 11 spots away from falling off the charts.
Volbeat, Beyond Hell/Above Heaven (Universal) 900 sold
In 24 weeks, the Danish garage metallers have sold over 20,400 copies of their latest release. Considering how everyone seems to love them (with their fan base in America appearing to grow), this number is pretty low.
Duff McKagan’s Loaded, The Taking (Eagle Rock) 870 sold
The ex-Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver bassist’s solo group experiences a 62% decrease in their second week on the charts. But still sold way more than Chinese Democracy did this week.
Art Of Dying, Vices And Virtures (Reprise/Intoxication) 700 sold
A 16% decrease for the Canadian rockers.
I See Stars, The End Of The World Party (Sumerian) 550 sold
A steep 35% decrease for the post-hardcore band in their 10th week.
We Came As Romans, To Plant A Seed (Equal Vision) 510 sold
The band once again experiences a drastic change in sales from the prior week. This time, We Came As Romans went from selling over a thousand copies last week to selling just over 500 this week. We’ll ask again… WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE?!
Red Fang, Murder the Mountains (Relapse) 460 sold
A modest decrease for the stoner rockers, with less than two months away from their stint at Mayhem Fest beginning.
