Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week as well as what’s getting played at metal radio courtesy of radio trade magazine FMQB, whose metal panel consists of about 80 college and commercial stations that have metal shows, as well as SiriusXM, Music Choice, and more.
There’s really nothing to report this week in terms of debuts, since nothing much came out last week, metal or otherwise. The main question I had when looking through the charts was ‘what year is this, anyway?’ With the holiday boom over, aging albums by Eminem, Nickelback, Beyonce, and Pink return to the top 50, and we’ve got to go all the way down to #65 to find anything remotely metal-worthy. So instead of giving props to the highest selling metal band on this list, we’ll give props, in title and album, to Anvil, the lowest selling one that made the chart. Status quo with FMQB, as Slayer is #1 still and a Fear Factory single stakes its claim as most added. More after the jump.
Notable Sales:
Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures
OK, the album’s been out for two months, time for them to go on tour and play songs that people are familiar with, unlike last time.
Mudvayne, Mudvayne (Epic) #72, 7,200 sold
55,000 albums sold in three weeks is a pretty solid number.
Alice In Chains, Black Gives Way To Blue (Virgin) #90, 6,200 sold
The “No Exuses”-like second single, “Your Decision,” should keep them selling records.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Night Castle 
Holidays over? No problem! Rock’s version of Mannheim Steamroller is still selling pretty solidly.
Hollywood Undead, Swan Songs
Just when you thought this band couldn’t get any hackier/trashier, it turns out that one of them used to date Tila Tequila.
Five Finger Death Punch, War Is The Answer
Y’all ready for the ladies night tour?
Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot (Redline) #136, 3,700 sold
Sammy Hagar should change the song from “I Can’t Drive 55” to “I Can’t Drive Because I’m Over 55.”
Slipknot, All Hope is Gone (Roadrunner) #150, 3,200 sold
All hope apparently isn’t gone for this album, which has sold over 875,000 albums.
Motley Crue, Greatest Hits (Motley Records) #161, 2,900 sold
This band has more greatest hits album than they have members. Unless you count John Corabi and the drummer from Hole.
Slayer, World Painted Blood
The tour postponement isn’t affecting their sales too much.
Rodrigo y Gabriela, 11:11 (ATO) #179, 2,500 sold
This amazing, Metallica-covering acoustic flamenco duo will be touring the states again in March. Don’t miss them.
Metalocalypse: Dethklok, Dethalbum II (Williams Street) #181, 2,500 sold
This has sold 137,000, which is a lot more than bands that aren’t cartoons will sell in their whole career.
The Devil Wears Prada, With Roots Above and Branches Below (Ferret) 900 sold
This has been a consistent seller since its release last year.
Attack Attack!, Someday Came Suddenly (Rise) 800 sold
Blah blah blah autotune blah screamoisboring blah blah something crabcore…
Baroness, Blue Record (Relapse) 700 sold
This is will have sold 20,000 copies in a month, which isn’t bad.
Bring Me The Horizon, Suicide Season
It’s already been broughten!
Nile, Those Whom the Gods Detest
I’ve really run out of things to say about Nile.
Austrian Death Machine, Double Brutal
This should be twice as brutal as the last one, but it’s about as brutal, even if there are two discs.
Pelican, What We All Come To Need (Southern Lord) 400 sold
This sold about the same as it did last week. Pelican is nothing if not consistent.
Volbeat, Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood (Megaforce) 375 sold
It’s taken a few years, a tour with Metallica, and some satellite radio airplay, but Volbeat have sold about 10,000 copies of this album.
Anvil, This is Thirteen (VH1 Classic) 375 sold
I’ll bet every ’80s band wishes their roadie and fan club leader grew up to be a successful filmmaker.
FMQB Most Added
1. Fear Factory, “Fear Campaign” single (Candlelight) 47 Adds
2. Six Feet Under, Graveyard Classics III (Metal Blade) 39 Adds
3. Mudvayne, Mudvayne (Epic) 37 Adds
4. Abigail Williams, In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns (Candlelight) 33 Adds
5t. Brainstorm, Memorial Roots (AFM) 32 Adds
5t. Valkyrja, Contamination (Metal Blade) 32 Adds
FMQB Top Ten
1. Slayer, World Painted Blood (Sony) #177, 2,600 sold
2. Metalocalypse: Dethklok, Dethalbum II (Williams Street)
3. Baroness, Blue Record (Relapse)
4. Fear Factory, “Fear Campaign” and “Powershifter” singles (Candlelight)
5. Hatebreed, Hatebreed (E1)
6. Throwdown, Deathless (E1)
7. Megadeth, Endgame (Roadrunner)
8. Katatonia, Night is the New Day (Peaceville)
9. Shadows Fall, Retribution (Everblack Industries/Ferret)
10. Converge, Axe To Fall (Epitaph)
