With the muted reaction that Machine Head’s Catharsis received from critics, you’d think that they might have had a Suicide Silence-like disaster on their hands. However, the album sold about 9,000 units in its debut week. That’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it is worth noting that that’s less than half of what their last album, Bloodstone & Diamonds, sold it in it’s first week back in 2014. That’s certainly not the lowest number of records the band have sold in it’s first week, however. In fact, Through the Ashes of Empires didn’t even come out in America. The band had been on an upward trajectory sales-wise until now, however. The Blackening sold 16,000 in it’s first week back in 2007, and Unto the Locust sold 17,000 four years later. While streaming has obviously impacted sales, this has to hurt a bit.

Then again, the news of Machine Head selling less in the states is offset by their chart success in the rest of the world . #3 record in Germany?Achievement unlocked! It’s also #12 in the U.K, their highest showing there yet. It’s Australia’s #10 album as well. It’s not the first time international support has helped out the band. It was the success overseas of Through the Ashes of Empires that led Roadrunner to re-sign the band. And as their ‘An Evening With’ tours have shown, there’s still a huge appetite for the band stateside. Perhaps the sound of the album or Flynn’s outspoken left-leaning songs convinced some fans to sit this album out. And if not, Machine Head doesn’t even need to lean super hard on the U.S. market if they can tour overseas. Flynn hasn’t commented on his U.S. sales yet, but the band trumpeted their international debut, which they have every right to be proud of, on Instagram. Stay tuned for the rest of this week’s chart action in Metal by Numbers.

 

CATHARSIS DEBUTS HIGHEST INT. CHART ENTRIES IN HISTORY!!⠀ ⠀ They say “the proof is in the pudding”. The results are in on Machine Head’s latest album CATHARSIS, and the Head Cases of the U.K., Germany, and Australia stood their ground, stood by their band, and infiltrated the National Mainstream Charts in an unprecedented way! ⠀ ⠀ – CATHARSIS debuts at #3 in Germany! ⠀ – CATHARSIS debuts at #12 on the U.K. National charts!⠀ – CATHARSIS debuts at #10 Australia ⠀ ⠀ CATHARSIS early opening week entries marks the highest chart positions in Machine Head’s legendary and illustrious 27 history. These are not the “rock” charts, these are not the “metal” charts, these are the official charts that quantify all music from pop to hip hop. ⠀ ⠀ It marks Machine Head’s first Top #5 entry into the German national charts, bests Machine Head’s previous highest U.K. charting of 1999’s “The Burning Red” of #13 (over 18 years ago!?), equals our previous highest Australian charting, and gives record label Nuclear Blast one of their best weeks EVER in the global music market.⠀ ⠀ Previous album chart positions around the world can be seen below, with 1999’s “The Burning Red” and 2014’s “Bloodstone & Diamonds” tallying up the highest numbers, followed by 2011’s “Unto The Locust” and 2007’s “The Blackening”.⠀ ⠀ Machine Head frontman and guitarist Robb Flynn adds, “we are feeling SO unbelievably grateful to the Head Cases of Germany, The U.K. and Australia right now, words can’t even really put it into perspective. In a world dominated by hip hop and pop music, in terms of both sales and relevance, you just sent a deafening message to the world at large… Metal means something important!!⠀ ⠀ It’s been a long road making this album, and we still have a looooooong way to go. You and I both know, it isn’t always easy being a Head Case. You take A LOT of shit for it, you get A TON of hate for it.⠀ ⠀ But ya know what… WE FUCKING DID IT HEAD CASES!!⠀ ⠀ That line in “Beyond The Pale” was written for you guys “I found my heroes, in freaks and zeros”, let your freak-flags fly, you guys are OUR heroes!!⠀ ⠀ SPREAD THE HEAD MOTHERFUCKERS!!”⠀ ⠀ US / rest-of-world chart positions arrive by Wed

A post shared by Machine Head (@machine_head) on Feb 2, 2018 at 1:29pm PST

Bram Teitelman

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