Archive | Metal By Numbers
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
This week, the charts are jam packed with thirteen metal and hard rock debuts, four of which made their way into the top 200. However, the top debut comes from Storm Corrosion, the collaboration between Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt and Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson. A project that at one time featured Mike Portnoy, it’s an album many prog fans have been waiting quite a while to hear. You’d think that a project with ties to Opeth and Porcupine Tree might have sold more than 9,400 copies in its first week, but then again, both Akerfeldt and Wilson have made it clear that Storm Corrosion sounds different than either of their other bands. So with that in mind, Storm Corrosion’s top 50 debut is pretty impressive.
Notable Debuts:
Storm Corrosion, Storm Corrosion (Roadrunner) #44, 9,400 sold
Also making this debut impressive is the fact that Akerfeldt and Wilson have not done any touring in support of their collaboration. And considering how Opeth will be kept busy on the road for the foreseeable future, we doubt Storm Corrosion will be playing live shows any time soon.
OFF!, OFF! (Vice) #89, 4,920 sold
This is certainly an impressive top 100 debut for the punk supergroup (featuring members of the Circle Jerks, Earthless, Hot Snakes and others). And chances are their opening stint for Refused this Summer will further help sales out.
Otherwise, True Love Never Dies (Century Media) #110, 3,960 sold
Looks like the hard rock group’s opening stint on Lacuna Coil’s tour last month paid off. Read more »
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
While this week only finds three new metal or hard rock releases hitting the charts, the top debut comes from the onetime king of shock rock. It’s been three years since Marilyn Manson released a new album, and chart watchers wondered how the long-awaited Born Villain (dubbed by Manson himself as his “comeback album”) would do in its first week.
Well, Born Villain was able to push a little more than 38,000 copies, enough to give it a top 10. Now just for shits and giggles, let’s take a look at the first week sales and chartings for Manson’s last three albums:
-In 2009, The High End Of Low premiered at #4 with roughly 49,000 copies sold.
-In 2007, Eat Me, Drink Me premiered at #8 with roughly 88,000 copies sold.
-In 2003, The Golden Age Of Grotesque topped the charts with roughly 118,000 copies sold.
On the one hand, selling around 10,000 copies less than 2009’s The High End Of Low isn’t that terrible, especially considering how hard it is for anyone to sell half of what they sold two-three years ago. At the same time, though, Born Villain’s first week sales continue to show a downhill trend. Whether it’s a trend relating to the decrease of album sales in general, Manson’s popularity, or both is up for debate.
Notable Debuts:
Marilyn Manson, Born Villain (Cooking Vinyl/ Downtown/Hell, Etc.) #10, 38,140 sold
Performing and recording with Johnny Depp might not equal album sales, but maybe touring with Rob Zombie will at least give sales a boost.
Hurt, The Crux (Carved) #66, 6,110 sold
Congrats to the modern rock group on scoring their first top 100 debut.
Brendon Small, Galaktikon (Self-released) 860 sold
On the one hand, we would have thought Small’s first solo album would’ve sold a little more considering the hype surrounding Metalocalypse’s fourth season. However, this is still a pretty strong first week considering that Small self-released his album via only digital outlets and his website. Read more »
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
Out of the ten metal and hard rock new releases this week, only two make it into the top 200. And this week’s top debut comes from Christian metalcore group War Of Ages. While their fifth album Return To Life marks their highest ranking album to date, it does sell slightly less than its predecessor, 2010’s Eternal (which came in at #158 with roughly 3,000 copies sold in its first week). Ok, so Return To Life’s first week’s sales might not be mind-blowing. But as we’ve said numerous times, it’s become hard for a lot of bands to sell as many copies as their previous album did (even if it was just two years ago). And the fact that their new album sold only a little less than their Eternal did shows that this Christian metalcore group’s fanbase remains stable and has potential to grow even more.
Notable Debuts:
War Of Ages, Return to Life (Facedown) #130, 2,860 sold
Who knows, maybe their performance at this Summer’s SoulFest will attract a new audience for them?
Torche, Harmonicraft (Volcom) #141, 2,630 sold
The sludge rock group’s first album via Volcom has a strong first week, debuting in the top 200. While Torche should be pleased, guitarist Andrew Elstner is probably just happy that he doesn’t have rabies.
Prong, Carved Into Stone (Long Branch) 1,650 sold
A strong first week for Tommy Victor and co., who sell roughly two hundred copies more than their last album, 2007’s Power Of The Damager (which sold roughly 1,400 in its first week). Read more »
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
This week, the top hard rock debut comes from Canadian Christian group Thousand Foot Krutch. However, the real top metal debut comes from a band that’s gone through its fair share of changes over the years. Armed with new singer Marc Hudson, Dragonforce have released their first album in almost four years. So how did The Power Within do? Debuting at number #68 with 5,770 copies sold, Dragonforce fall pretty short of copying the success of 2008’s The Ultra Beatdown (which opened with roughly 24,000 copies at #18). While this seems pretty rough, there are two things to remember:
1. Besides a few one-off shows, including the New England Metal & Hardcore Fest this past weekend, Dragonforce hasn’t done any real touring in North America. Their first proper tour in support of the album just kicked off at the NEMHF.
2. We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: it’s hard for any band to sell what they did two years ago, let alone four.
So it may not be the most successful first week sales, but it’s still a solid start for a band that’s been away for a while now.
Notable Debuts:
Thousand Foot Krutch, The End Is Where We Begin (TFKmusic) #14, 23,250 sold
A very impressive debut for the Christian nu-metal group, especially since they self-released it.
Dragonforce, The Power Within (Roadrunner) #68, 5,770 sold
Here’s hoping that their current tour with Huntress and Holy Grail will remind more fans that they got a new album out now.
Hank Williams III, Long Gone Daddy (Curb) #84, 4,570 sold
The Assjack/ Arson Anthem/ Superjoint Ritual member’s (also Hank William Jr.’s son) latest country album has an impressive first week.
Tomahawk, Eponymous To Anonymous (Ipecac) 1,060 sold
It appear that Tomahawk’s vinyl set (including all three of their albums) appears to have done well on Record Store Day.
Primal Rock Rebellion, Awoken Broken (Spinefarm) 470 sold
We thought more Iron Maiden fans would’ve picked this album up, which features guitarist Adrian Smith collaborating with SikTh co-singer Mikee Goodman. Read more »
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
Talk about one hell of a week for metal and hard rock debuts. Out of the thirteen new releases that made it onto the charts, nine of them actually made it into the top 200. And while it proved to be a successful first week for new and elder bands alike, this week’s top metal/hard rock debut goes to Halestorm. The Lzzy Hale fronted rock group’s sophomore album cracks the top 20 with just under 24,000 copies sold. Considering that their 2009 self-titled debut peaked at #40, we’d say that this is cause for major celebration for the Halestorm camp.
Notable Debuts:
Halestorm, The Strange Case Of… (Atlantic) #15, 23,840 sold
While the band has gained lots of attention from the numerous tours they’ve done (including the inaugural Uproar Tour), we wonder if Lzzy’s guest appearance on Adrenaline Mob’s cover of Duran Duran’s “Come Undone” helped give the band extra exposure. After all, we know how loyal Mike Portnoy fans are.
Demon Hunter, True Defiance (Solid State) #34, 12,500 sold
The Christian metalcore group’s sixth studio album sells roughly 1,400 copies less than 2010’s World Is A Thorn, did in its first week. which is still extremely impressive considering how hard it is for many bands nowadays to sell half of what they sold two years ago.
Emmure, Slave to the Game (Victory) #59, 7,040 sold
Though ranking higher, Emmure’s fifth album sells roughly three thousand copies less than 2011’s Spear Of The Dead did in its first week.
Accept, Stalingrad (Nuclear Blast) #76, 5,383 sold
The German metal legends experience their highest ranking debut since 1984’s Balls To The Wall. In comparison, 2010’s Blood Of The Nations (considered to be their “comeback album” with new singer Mark Tornillo) debuted at #170 with 2,900 copies sold. Talk about a major victory for Accept! Read more »
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
This week’s list of new metal/hard rock releases on the charts is slightly shorter. However, the top debut is a big one, with High On Fire’s seventh album just one spot away from cracking the top 60. Granted, their new album De Vermis Mysteriis is their highest (no pun intended) ranking album by only one ranking, and sells about 1,200 copies less than its predecessor Snake For The Divine (which debuted at #62 in 2010). With that said, De Vermis Mysteriis’ first week numbers are still very impressive, and proves that High On Fire still has a large and growing fan base. Plus, De Vermis Mysteriis is pretty damn amazing.
Notable Debuts:
High On Fire, De Vermis Mysteriis (eOne) #61, 7,400 sold
Let’s not forget that their stint on Mayhem Fest this Summer will further help out with sales.
Candlebox, Love Stories & Other Musings (Maverick) #78, 5,790 sold
Anyone remember this Seattle post-grunge band? No? Well some fans do, since their fifth album (and second since reuniting in 2006) sold enough to enter the top 80.
Cynic, The Portal Tapes (Season of Mist) 440 sold
Even though many Cynic die-hard fans have been waiting to hear the demos of Portal (the group formed after Cynic’s 1994 hiatus but never saw the light of day), this release doesn’t make a huge impact on the charts. With that said, it’s still an impressive first week for a release full of old demos. Read more »
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
Ok, so technically Shinedown, The Used and The Mars Volta have the top hard rock debuts (while someone named Madonna topping the charts). However, out of the 20 metal/hard rock debuts this week, 11 of which cracked the top 200, the real winners without a doubt is Meshuggah with a top 20 debut and well over 18,000 copies sold
First off, Meshuggah’s new album Koloss easily beats their previously most successful album obZen (which came in at #59 with 11,400 copies sold in its first week back in 2008). The fact that any band can sell more than what they did four years ago is an enormous feat. However, what’s even more surprising is that an extreme metal band like Meshuggah was even able to debut in the top 20. This very impressive first week in sales further proves how large Meshuggah’s following has grown over the years. Overkill also top their last album, debuting in the top 100. There’s a lot of new music this week, so let’s just dive in.
Notable Debuts:
Shinedown, Amaryllis (Atlantic) #4, 105,770 sold
While these guys are definitely more on the hard rock side than metal, it’s still encouraging to see a rock band that doesn’t rhyme with “pickleback” sell more than 100k in a week.
The Used, Vulnerable (Hopeless) #8, 31,520 sold
Interesting to see a band most people haven’t thought about in a while debut in the top ten with their first album on an independent label. Good for them.
The Mars Volta, Noctourniquet (Warner Bros.) #14, 20,900 sold
This is the band’s most accessible album since Deloused in the Comatorium. This is the band’s lowest chart appearance since that album, selling about 10,000 less than 2009′s Octahedron, which debuted at #12. It’s still a wonderfully weird album that’s worth digging into.
Meshuggah, Koloss (Nuclear Blast) #16, 18,340 sold
And chances are that Meshuggah’s tour with Baroness and Decapitated will continue to help sales.
Read more »
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
Last week saw some major debuts in the top 200, while next week promises even a motherlode of metal debuts. This week, though, we only have one release that sold enough to appear on the Top New Artist Albums/ Heatseekers chart. And we wouldn’t be surprised if you first head of the band behind this week’s sole new release via Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. With that said, the veteran noise rock group Unsane have a decent first week with their seventh album.
Notable Debuts:
Unsane, Wreck (Alternative Tentacle) 620 sold
The noise rock group’s tour with the Melvins will likely help keep them in front of people.
Notable Sales:
Van Halen, A Different Kind of Truth (Interscope) #46, 8,000 sold
After seven weeks on the charts, Van Halen have been kicked out of the top 40, but with over 330,000 sold, we doubt they’re complaining.
Five Finger Death Punch, American Capitalist (Prospect Park) #67, 5,930 sold
Want to see Ivan Moody make a clown out of himself…on a movie screen?
Foo Fighters, Wasting Light (RCA) #86, 4,450 sold
Never let it be said that Dave Grohl doesn’t know how to get the best out of others. Read more »
With Metal By Numbers, we normally try to report weekly on the top metal sellers and debuts that appear on the Top 200 and Top New Artist Albums/ Heatseekers charts. However, for numerous reasons, we are unable to provide a full analysis on this week’s top sellers. But considering how many big titles came out this week, we decided to at least cover a few of the top debuts that appeared on the charts.
And this week, the top metal debut comes from none other than Cannibal Corpse. the legendary death metal group only sold slightly more than 2009’s Evisceration Plague (debuting at #66 with roughly 9,580 copies) in its first week, twelfth studio album Torture does mark their highest debut on the charts by cracking the top 40. Not only is it awesome to see any death metal in the top 40, but it’s also extremely impressive for any group (even one as well-known as Cannibal Corpse) to sell as many or slightly more albums as they did three years ago.
Cannibal Corpse, Torture (Metal Blade) #38, 9,600 sold
We’d bet that the death metal legends’ upcoming headlining tour and appearance on Summer Slaughter will further improve sales as well.
Adrenaline Mob, Omertá (Elm City) #70, 6,580 sold
The supergroup’s debut full length falls a little short to compared to the sales of each member’s other bands (including Dream Theater, Disturbed and even Symphony X). With that said, Omertá’s first week sales are impressive for any new band. Plus, considering that many Dream Theater/Symphony X fans have been mixed about Adrenaline Mob’s hard rock sound (which Russell Allen is ok with), we’d assume that most of the people buying this album are Mike Portnoy die-hard supporters or new fans.
Soulfly, Enslaved (Roadrunner) #82, 5,850 sold
The Max Cavalera-fronted band’s eighth album sells slightly less than its predecessor, 2010’s Omen (which came in at #72 after selling roughly 6,100 copies in its first week). Nonetheless, it’s still an impressive first week for what might be Soulfly’s most aggressive album to date. Just listen to “Gladiator” if you don’t believe us. Read more »
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
Only three hard rock or metal debuts made it onto the charts this week. However, not only does Every Time I Die have the top metal debut, but they also had a very impressive first week. The Buffalo metalcore group’s sixth album sells over 14,000 copies, enough to debut at #20 and tie with Young Jeezy’s latest release.
ETID definitely have a lot to celebrate. Not only did Ex-Lives outsell 2009’s New Junk Aesthetic (which premiered at #46 with roughly 12,000 copies sold), but also sold slightly more than 2007’s The Big Dirty (which came in at #46). Considering the state of album sales, it’s a huge accomplishment for any band to sell as many copies (let alone more) as they did five years ago. So congratulations to Every Time I Die on that and for cracking the top 20.
Notable Debuts:
Every Time I Die, Ex-Lives (Epitaph) #20, 14,020 sold
Not only will their current tour with The Devil Wears Prada help sales out further, but so will their stint on the Warped Tour this Summer.
The Pretty Reckless, Hit Me Like A Man EP (Interscope) #150, 2,900 sold
The Taylor Momsen-fronted group’s new EP has a solid first week, especially considering that it only has three new songs on it.
Xandria, Neverworld’s End (Napalm) 440 sold
Though this is the German symphonic band’s first week on the charts, it also might be its last. Guess it never had a chance. Read more »
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
Posted by Metal Insider on Wed, May 16, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Metal By Numbers