Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top sellers 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, as well as SiriusXM, Music Choice, and more.
Looks like people still watch the Grammys, or at least give the gift of music along with the flowers and candy. A lot of music, including metal, got a nice increase this week. Who knew that when Robert Plant was a golden god that one day he’d be winning album of the year for a folk/bluegrass album that most people don’t know about. While his album got an amazing 700% sales boost, the effects of the last week registered across the board. Meanwhile at FMQB, Mastodon are the only new entry into the top ten as Lamb of God continue their chokehold on #1 at metal radio – and this is before the full has even landed.
Notable Debuts:
Napalm Death, Time Waits For No Slave (Century Media) 1,700 copies sold
The godfathers of grind sell a copy of their excellent album for roughly every year they’ve been around.
Darkane, Demonic Art (Nuclear Blast) 600 copies sold
The Swedish band have a decent debut ofr their fifth album.
Notable Sales:
Kid Rock, Rock N’ Roll Jesus (Atlantic) #21, 30,000 copies sold
A Grammy appearance give Kid’s sales a kick in the ass, with him moving 12,000 more than last week
Metallica, Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.) #45, 15,750 copies sold
The Metal grammy winners get a 36% bounce.
AC/DC, Black Ice (Columbia) #51, 15.000 copies sold
Over 2 million sold this week.
Slipknot, All Hope is Gone (Roadrunner), #76, 10,000 copies sold.
That’s equivalent to each member buying 1,1111 copies of their album.
Guns N’ Roses, Chinese Democracy (Geffen), #123, 6,000 copies sold
Now underperforming at a Best Buy near you! This album is definitely better than everyone thinks it is.
Mudvayne, The New Game (Epic) #145, 5,000 copies sold
A consistent performer, they sell more, but have roughly the same chart number as last week.
Cannibal Corpse, Eviscaration Plague (Metal Blade) #174 4,200 copies sold
Even with roughly a 50% drop, this is still a great second week for a death metal album.
Five Finger Death Punch, The Way of the Fist (The Firm) #182, 4,000 copies sold
They’re taking back control with their knuckles – and closing in on 300,000 sold.
Bring Me The Horizon, Suicide Season (Epitaph) 1,500 copies sold
This is selling well, and will probably pick up now that they’re on the road.
Kreator, Hordes of Chaos (SPV) 700 copies sold
The band’s about to cross the 7,000 sold threshhold, which isn’t bad with a US tour about to start.
Satyricon, The Age Of Nero (E1) 600 copies sold
Black metal band should have sold 5,000 copies by this time next week.
Cattle Decapitation, Harvest Floor (Metal Blade) 550 copies sold
No animals were harmed in the purchasing of this album, which has moved 4,000 in four weeks.
FMQB Most Added
1. Warpath, Damnation, (S.H. Independent)
2. Nashville Pussy, From Hell To Texas (SPV)
3. Obscura, Cosmogenesis (Relapse)
4. Crud, Bang Bang Bang (Full Effect)
5. Fashion Bomb, Devils to Some, Angels to Others (Full Effect)
FMQB Top Ten Albums
1. Lamb of God, “Set To Fail” single (Epic)
2. Sepultura, A-Lex (SPV)
3. Kreator, Hordes of Chaos (SPV)
4. Satyricon, The Age of Nero (KOCH)
5. Cannibal Corpse, Eviscaration Plague (Metal Blade)
6. Woe of Tyrants, Kingdom of Might (Metal Blade)
7. 16, Bridges To Burn (Relapse)
8. Mastodon, “Diviniations” single (Reprise)
9. Metallica, Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.)
10. Cynic, Traced in Air (Season of Mist)
