Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
Steven Wilson’s new album was supposed to come out last June, but the pandemic messed that plan up, and I was left with a gaping hole where a new album from Mr. Wilson should have filled it. But it’s here now, and while plenty of people will decry it as a non-metal release, I don’t really care. It’s great and Steven Wilson will always have a place on this column.
Another interesting tidbit from this week: country artist Morgan Wallen is number one on the charts. If you don’t know who that is, I don’t blame you because I didn’t know who he was until a week ago when he was caught on video drunkenly calling someone the n-word. The fallout was swift: radio stations stopped playing him and his label and distributor have suspended him indefinitely. And his fans responded by…buying and streaming his music as a show of support? Well, that just goes to show that 1) country music (still) has a racism problem and 2) cancel culture is not real.
Notable Debuts:
Debut #7
6,025 sold
Steven Wilson’s sixth album sold lower but charted higher than his
previous album.
Debut #12
4,825 sold
Accept’s sixteenth studio album charted high, sold lower than its
2017 predecessor.
Debut #50
1,400 sold
This is the band’s second album.
Debut #54
1,350 sold
The band’s fifth album is the band’s highest charting yet.
Debut #71
970 sold
This is the band’s eighth non-collaborative studio album.
Debut #79
910 sold
This is the band’s fifth album marks their best debut yet.

Annisokay,
Aurora (Arising Empire)
250 sold
This is the band’s fifth album.
240 sold
This is the band’s second album.
#62 (from 12)
1,200 sold
A 72% drop after last week’s boost.
This is the supergroup’s fifth studio album.
A 26% drop.
#92 (from 128)
760 sold
A 14% boost.

Metallica & The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra,
S&M2(Blackened)
#105 (from 81)
720 sold
A 29% drop.
#116 (from 118)
660 sold
A 8% drop.

Deftones,
Ohms (Reprise)
#117 (from 79)
650 sold
A 35% drop with just under 80,000 sold.
#119 (re-entry)
630 sold
This got boosted up by 256%, making an appearance for the first time since December.

Five Finger Death Punch,
F8(Better Noise)
#163 (from 172)
440 sold
A 14% drop.
#177 (re-entry)
390 sold
A 12% boost. No such thing as bad press, huh?
#182 (re-entry)
380 sold
This is back on the charts despite a 8% drop.
#184 (re-entry)
380 sold
A 50% boost brings this album back up after a long absence.
#199 (re-entry)
350 sold
A 28% boost back up.
320 sold
A whopping 402% boost back up.
260 sold
This gets a 70% boost in week two.
140 sold
A 72% drop in week two.
130 sold
This sold about the same as last week.
130 sold
This popped up after releasing nearly a year and half ago.
120 sold
A 26% drop.
100 sold
This has popped up again.