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 that have metal shows, as well as SiriusXM, Music Choice, and more.
Too bad we used our “hell of a debut” headline last week, as The Devil Wears Prada had a from-out-of-nowhere debut for their Ferret release. And while last week only had a few notable metal debuts, there’s a ton this week by the likes of Hatebreed, Isis, and Zao. Chimaira take over the top spot at FMQB, and UK punk band Gallows are Most Added, duking it out with Priest vocalists Ripper Owens and Rob Halford.
Notable Debuts:
The Devil Wears Prada, With Roots Above and Branches (Ferret) #11, 31,000 sold
Right now there’s a band deciding whether they should call themselves Fried Green Tomatoes or Bride Wars. Seriously, congrats to Ferret.
Hatebreed, For The Lions (E1) #58, 9,600 sold
The band’s first album for E1, a covers album, had a nice debut.
Isis, Wavering Radiant (Ipecac) 5,800 sold
This is definitely a good first week for the post-hardcore, experimental band.
The Chariot, Wars and Rumors of Wars (Solid State) 5,100 sold
We think it was the nice, tasteful, understated banners that led to such a great first week!
Psychostick, Sandwich (Rock Ridge) 2,100 sold
Although they’re a joke band, this debut is no joke.
Zao, Awake (Ferret) 2,000 sold
Considering the band only made 8,000 physical copies of the album worldwide, this is an impressive debut.
Earth Crisis, To the Death (Century Media) 1,000 sold
Reunited straight-edge hardcore crew does well their first week.
Gallows, Grey Britain (Reprise) 1,000 sold
A jump to the majors resulted in 1,000 crusty angry punks throwing some pounds down on the English band’s Reprise debut, only to find out that pounds don’t work in America.
Candlemass, Death Magic Doom (Nuclear Blast) 800 sold
Candlemass have been around for so long that their first record came out on vinyl and player piano. The excellent doom-meisters have delivered on the promise of last year’s EP.
Rhino Bucket, Hardest Town (MVD) 700 sold
Remember that band that came out in 1990 that sounded a lot like AC/DC? Some people did.
Notable Sales:
Hollywood Undead, Swan Songs (Octone) #36, 11,000 sold
Really? This is a Summer kind of album, and with Summer just around the corner, this could be Gold by the time Labor Day rolls around.
Heaven & Hell, The Devil You Know (Rhino) #56, 9,900 sold
Despite a pretty steep drop (nearly 70%), Heaven and Hell have sold over 40,000 copies in two weeks.
Kid Rock, Rock N’ Roll Jesus (Atlantic) #83, 8,100 sold
There’s really 8,100 people that realized they didn’t have this album yet.
Lacuna Coil, Shallow Life (Century Media) #93, 6,100 sold
Cristina Scabbia is hot. This message was brought to you by the department of obvious.
Metallica, Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.) #99, 5,700 sold
Let’s hope the next album is a) as good as this one and b) doesn’t take five years to come out.
Mastodon, Crack the Skye (Reprise) #120, 5,000 sold
Seven weeks in, and their sales actually went up!
Slipknot, All Hope is Gone (Roadrunner), #134, 4,500 sold.
Aw, c’mon guys. There’s still hope left. Take off those masks and get outside in the sun. Oh wait, you’re from Iowa. We get it…
Lamb of God, Wrath (Epic) #177, 3,300 sold
They sold slightly more than last week, and are holding strong. If they don’t wind up crossing the 150,000 sold barrier next week, they will the week after.
AC/DC, Black Ice (Columbia) #178, 3,300 sold
This album is recession proof.
Chimaira, The Infection (Ferret) #179, 3,300 sold
And completing the hat trick of metal albums in the 170s, it’s Chimaira, who have sold 24,000 so far.
Bring Me The Horizon, Suicide Season (Epitaph) 1,200 sold
Consistency in sales has led to them selling over 50,000 of the album, with no real slowdown yet.
God Forbid, Earthsblood (Century Media) 750 copies sold
A nice 25% jump in sales, possibly due to their tour having played sold-out shows in the Northeast this past week.
Impending Doom, Serpent Servant (Facedown) 750 sold
Christian Metal is catching on, at least if you looks at Impending Doom and Devil Wears Prada.
Oceano, Depths (Earache) 675 sold
This is selling pretty consistently as well.
Seventh Void, Heaven is Gone (Big Vin) 650 sold
Up to about 4,000 sold this week.
FMQB Most Added
1. Gallows, Grey Britain (Reprise)
2. Rob Halford, Silent Screams (Metal God Entertainment)
3. Warbringer, Waking Into Nighmares (Century Media)
4. Ripper Owens, Play My Game (SPV)
5. Syncope Threshold, Tale of the Complex Circuit (Razorheart Records)
FMQB Top Ten Albums
1. Chimaira, The Infection (Ferret Music)
2. Hatebreed, For The Lions (E1)
3. Mastodon, Crack the Skye (Reprise)
4. Heaven & Hell, The Devil You Know (Rhino)
5. Daath, The Concealers (Century Media)
6. Lamb of God, Wrath (Epic)
7. Volbeat, Guitar Gangsters, and Cadillac Blood (Mascot)
8. Seventh Void, Heaven is Gone (Big Vin)
9. Lazarus A.D., The Onslaught (Metal Blade)
10. Static-X, Cult of Static (Reprise)
