Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
Out of the five metal/hard rock debuts to hit the charts this week, three of them appear in the top 100. However, this week’s top debut comes from Black Veil Brides, coming in at #17. This is a band whose image has turned off a lot of people, including us at first. After listening to their sophomore album, though, we can hear how their mixture of metalcore and glam could easily win over a lot of fans.
Regardless of what you may think of the band, their first week sales are pretty impressive. Last Summer, Black Veil Brides’ debut album We Stitch These Wounds came in at #36 and sold around 10,600 (pretty good for a band who at the time we had no clue about). Fast forward to less than a year, and here is the band selling more than double that with their second release. Guess their image isn’t as much of a turn off as we thought.
Notable Debuts:
Black Veil Brides, Set the World on Fire (Universal Republic) #17, 22,950 sold
A top 20 debut couldn’t come at a better time for frontman Andy Biersack, who had a pretty rough weekend to say the least.
Of Mice & Men, The Flood (Rise) #24, 15,320 sold
The metalcore group’s sophomore album also serves as their highest ranking album to date.
Black Country Communion, 2 (J&R Adventures) #63, 8,310 sold
As impressive of a first week it is for the supergroup featuring Jason Bonham and Glenn Hughes, their first album (which only came out in September) still holds as their highest ranking album (coming in at #54).
Alestorm, Back Through Time (Napalm) 1,220 sold
The Scottish pirate metal group has the top folk metal debut of the week.
A Pale Horse Named Death, And Hell Will Follow Me (Steamhammer/SPV) 500 sold
Life of Agony/ex-Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato’s new project has a modest first week.
Notable Sales:
Foo Fighters, Wasting Light (RCA) #12, 29,850 sold
A major increase in sales sees Dave Grohl and company jumping thirteen spots up the charts and walking back in the top 20.
Def Leppard, Mirrorball (Mailboat) #34, 12,590 sold
A 37% decrease isn’t too awful considering that this live release only features three newly recorded songs and was sold exclusively through Walmart and Sam’s Club. Just wait until people hear their lullaby album.
Seether, Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray (Wind-Up) #42, 11,780 sold
Despite getting kicked out of the top 40, Seether only experience a 4% decrease in their fifth week on the charts.
Kid Rock, Born Free (Atlantic) #60, 8,670 sold
Another 20% increase for Mr. Rock brings him back into the top 60. Yet he’s apparently already working on a follow up album.
Hollywood Undead, American Tragedy (A&M/Octone) #98, 5,490 sold
A 13% decrease in sales finds the masked rapcore group 26 spots down the charts.
Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare (Warner Bros.) #122, 4,750 sold
After experiencing a nice boost in sales last week, A7X have fallen out of the top 100 again by 24 spots.
Five Finger Death Punch, War is the Answer (Prospect Park) #155, 3,340 sold
Didn’t take too long for FFDP to find a new bassist.
Black Stone Cherry, Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea (Roadrunner) #175, 3,050 sold
Another 32% decrease as the Southern rockers fall down the charts by 73 spots.
Arch Enemy, Khaos Legions (Century Media) #177, 3,000 sold
A 50% decrease for the Swedish death metal group in their second week sees them drop almost 100 spots down the charts.
Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns (Warner Bros.) #192, 2,700 sold
Despite a 7% increase, LP remain at the same chart position as last week. And like Kid Rock, they too appear to be already working on a follow up.
Disturbed, Asylum (Reprise) #194, 2,690 sold
After being absent from the top 200 last week, Disturbed return roughly around the same position as last time.
Sixx:A.M., This is Gonna Hurt (Eleven Seven) #197, 2,670 sold
Nikki Sixx and co. fall down the charts by 25 spots despite experiencing only a 4% decrease.
Touché Amoré, Parting the Sea Between the Brightness & Me (Deathwish) 1,460 sold
After a slow first week, post-hardcore band experiences an enormous 203% increase in sales.
Morbid Angel, Illud Divinum Insanus (Season of Mist) 1,440 sold
A 60% decrease kicks Morbid Angel’s polarizing album out of the top 200.
Volbeat, Beyond Hell/Above Heaven (Universal) 1,365 sold
A slight 8% increase for the Danish garage metallers.
Hammerfall, Infected (Nuclear Blast) 680 sold
The Swedish power metal group experiences a 60% decrease in their second week on the charts.
Vampires Everywhere!, Kiss The Sun Goodbye (Century Media) 600 sold
After experiencing modest spikes in sales, Vampires Everywhere! get a 27% decrease in their fifth week.
Art Of Dying, Vices And Virtures (Reprise/Intoxication) 590 sold
A 2% keeps these Canadian rockers around for another week.
Amorphis, The Beginning of Times (Nuclear Blast) 530 sold
Following a trend with other debuts from last week, the progressive death metallers’ experience a 60% decrease.
Memphis May Fire, The Hollow (Rise) 430 sold
After slipping further down the charts, the Southern metalcore group experiences a 21% increase in sales.
Boris, Heavy Rocks (Sargent House) 380 sold
The experimental Japanese rockers’ album that shouldn’t be confused with the 2002 album of the same name experiences a 34% decrease in their fourth week.
