Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.

Through collective industry clairvoyance, everyone already knew that Slipknot’s long-awaited new album would top the charts. Hell, people were talking about this last week. People were probably even talking about it months ago before the album was even out. But I guess that just goes to show the resilience of Slipknot’s star power since people were so confident that it would sell so well. And hey, any day a metal album tops the charts (with over 100,000 sold no less) is a good day in our books. In addition we have numbers for Primus’ Willy Wonka soundtrack (which is not a sentence I ever thought I’d write) and stuff from Sunn O))) and Alice Cooper. Dig In.

 

Notable Debuts:

Slipknot, .5: The Grey Chapter (Roadrunner) #1, 131,800 sold

The band’s first album since 2008 tops the charts.

 

Primus, Primus & The Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble (ATO) #17, 17,675 sold

Only Primus could get away with something like this. And it landed in the top 20 to boot.

 

Scott Walker + Sunn O))), Soused (4AD) #84, 3,925 sold

Anything with Sunn O))) is bound to get weird, and adding Scott Walker to the mix makes it weirder.

 

Amaranthe, Massive Addictive (Spinefarm) #98, 3,400 sold

The band gets its best debut yet with album three.

 

Alice Cooper, Raise The Dead: Live From Wacken (UDR) #187 1,725 sold

A live album from the one and only Alice Cooper. If you look closely at the CD, you can see him getting decapitated.

 

Kingdom Of Giants, Ground Culture (InVogue) 1,075 sold

The latest from this metalcore act.

 

Pitch Black Forecast, As The World Burns (Ferocious) 630 sold

The groove metal supergroup releases its third album which features guests like Randy Blythe and Devin Townsend.

 

Allen-Lande, The Great Divide (Frontiers) 470 sold

This is the fourth collaboration of Russell Allen of Symphony X and Jørn Lande.

 

Notable Sales:

Godsmack, 1000hp (Universal Republic) #108, 2,975 sold

Take it down to a 17% drop.

 

Exodus, Blood In Blood Out (Nuclear Blast) #128, 2,550 sold

A second week drop of 71%.

 

Sixx: A.M., Modern Vintage (Eleven Seven) #136, 2,450 sold

A 46% drop indicates that this particular vintage doesn’t age well.

 

Linkin Park, The Hunting Party (Warner Bros.) #140, 2,400 sold

This has now sold over 250,000 in total.

 

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, World On Fire (Dik Hayd) #141, 2,400 sold

Not fired up over a 28% drop.

 

Five Finger Death Punch, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Vol. 1 (Prospect Park) #148, 2,300 sold

This has sold over 430,000 copies.

 

Ozzy Osbourne, Memoirs of a Madman (Epic) #161, 2,075 sold

A maddening drop of 50%.

 

Five Finger Death Punch, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Vol. 2 (Prospect Park) #180, 1,800 sold

The combined total of both albums is over 730,000.

 

Avenged Sevenfold, Hail To The King (Warner Bros.) #182, 1,800 sold

This doesn’t budge much from last week.

 

Sanctuary, The Year The Sun Died (Century Media) 1,025 sold

A drop of 67% in week two.

 

Revocation, Deathless (Metal Blade) 770 sold

More second week droppage with 75%.

 

Melvins, Hold It In (Ipecac) 760 sold

This couldn’t hold in a 65% drop.

 

Texas Hippie Coalition, Ride On (10 Spot) 690 sold

Riding on after a 47% drop.

 

Rings of Saturn, Lugan Ki En (Unique Leader) 640 sold

A second week drop of 79% rings a bell.

 

Ice Nine Kills, The Predator Becomes the Prey (Outerloop) 580 sold

The band’s tour with For All Those Sleeping and Capture The Crown has granted this a 50% boost.

 

Scar Symmetry, The Singularity (Phase I – Neohumanity) (Nuclear Blast) 530 sold

A scarring drop of 65%.

 

Godflesh, A World Lit Only By Fire (Avalanche) 430 sold

A 60% drop doesn’t light things up.

 

Rival Sons, Great Western Valkyrie (Earache) 370 sold

This doesn’t move much from last week.

 

Decapitated, Blood Mantra (Nuclear Blast) 370 sold

A slight boost of 11%.

 

Butcher Babies, Uncovered (Century Media) 300 sold

A 25% drop for these babies.

 

Orange Goblin, Back From The Abyss (Candlelight) 290 sold

A 26% drop.

 

Glass Cloud, Perfect War Forever (Equal Vision) 280 sold

Forever dropping by 15%.