Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
Congratulations, metal! Between Black Label Society last week and Iron Maiden this week, the last two weeks have each had a metal record debut in the top five. If you take Avenged Sevenfold debuting at #1 into account at the beginning of the month, it’s been a pretty stellar month for metal releases. Sure, the overall sales for music have been horrible, with last week’s the lowest in Soundscan history, but at least some of the heavy stuff is being pushed higher than it would have a few years back.
Iron Maiden,The Final Frontier (UMe) #4, 63,000 sold
The 63,000 copies Maiden sold of The Final Frontier is more copies than they’ve sold of any of their albums since Bruce rejoined the band in 2000. In fact, each album since 2000′s Brave New World has sold better than the last. That’s amazing in this day and age.
Filter,The Trouble With Angels (Rocket Science) #63, 6,300 sold This debuts right around the same place as their last album, 2007′s Anthems for the Damned, which came in at #60. Hey man, nice job.
Knights of the Abyss, The Culling of Wolves(Ferret) 450 sold.
This Arizona death metal band’s second album for Ferret has a relatively decent debut. They’ll be on tour with Cattle Decapitation following their own tour. Read more »
It’s been two years since Ozzfest was a touring entity, and while it’s been shortened to only six dates this year, it’s still one of the bigger festival tours. For metal fans in the Northeast, Chicago, and L.A., it was a trek worth making as the Fest made its return with Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Halford, Devildriver and Black Label Society among others. While many feel that the returning festival is lacking in many ways, it’s still Ozzfest!! So, Bram and Zach got on their sleeveless Iron Maiden shirts (sorry Sharon) and headed to the Ozzfest stop at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ yesterday.
Not only did we keep our pact that we wouldn’t get our bodies painted or flash for beads, but we also took notes. Rather than give a long, boring review though, we decided to share a few highlights from the day of rain, sweat, beer and metal.
- Probably the biggest disappointment for everyone was that Black Label Society’s second stage headlining appearance was cancelled at the last minute due to a tornado warning. Apparently some of the band’s equipment got damaged due to the extreme rain fall and wind. Sure, there’s all kinds of logistics involved, but wouldn’t it have made sense to let BLS play the main stage? With no offense to Nonpoint, they don’t have the #4 album in the country or a former Ozzy guitarist in their ranks.
- Aside from cancelling BLS’ set, the weather seemed to be offering a running commentary on Ozzfest. It was slightly ironic as the skies really opened up shortly after Drowning Pool began playing, but it was just awesome to see a rainbow appear right as Halford took the stage. Read more »
So four bands walk into an arena… OK, that’s not really the opening of a great Polish joke, but Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax played their first show together in Warsaw last night as part of the Sonisphere festival. Surprises? Well, not a ton, with one big exception: Anthrax played “Only,” possibly their most popular John Bush-era song, for the first time with their second singer, Joey Belladonna. Sure, Anthrax might be the slightest of the “Big Four” (translation: they definitely are), but for them to bust out “Only” is like Van Halen doing “Why Can’t This Be Love” with David Lee Roth. Or Ozzy singing “Heaven and Hell.” Or Vince Neil busting out “Hooligan’s Holiday.” Or some Filipino guy singing “Don’t Stop Believin.’” Oh wait, that last one is happening. At any rate, the set lists of the Big Four at last night’s Sonisphere are after the jump. Read more »
The Acacia Strain have announced the name of their fifth studio album will be Wormwood. Both the title and cover art were revealed by vocalist Vincent Bennett in a video, which can be viewed here.
The No Label Needed series will be holding a chat with producers Machine and Will from Machine Shop Productions is at 8pm EST tonight. You can view the stream below.
The chat is going to be with the crew of Machine Shop Productions. This includes Will Putney (Reign Supreme, Upon a Burning Body) who produced and recorded Iron Thrones, the No Label Needed, contest winner and “Machine” (Lamb of God, King Crimson, Clutch) owner of MSP. They will be discussing and answering questions about their experience with Iron Thrones and all that it exemplifies. They will discuss the idea of the “Do It Yourself” attitude and approach to making and breaking a band in 2010 and beyond. They will also share insider techniques and secrets to DIY recording with basic consumer recording gear.
According to Jim Farber at the NY Daily News, heavy metal turned 40 yesterday. He’s got a point, since on June 1, Black Sabbath’s first album was released in the United States (It had come out on February 13 in the UK). There were definitely some other bands and songs that set the stage for the genre (Zeppelin, for one), but Sabbath were the first to fully embrace the dark side. While his article about this milestone is a little on the scholarly side, it’s also a nice defense of the genre, essentially stating that it’s got a lot more validity that it’s given credit for:
It’s stupid, it’s sexist, and it might even be Satanic.
That trilogy of ignorant views has obscured the true achievements – and the sonic rarity – of heavy metal from the start.
Isn’t it about time we shot them all in the head once and for all?
Quick answer, yes. And while some in the mainstream media would prefer to dismiss metal or besmirch the people that listen to it (yeah dude, we’re talking about you), it’s good to see metal both given context and defended by Farber. He goes on to state that infamous music critic Lester Bangs termed the phrase “Heavy Metal” (taking it from a line in Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild”), and that Deep Purple came in a close second, with In Rock coming out in July. He also says Judas Priest were the first band to really embrace the tag. Definitely check the article out, and feel free to proudly raise your horns to a genre that’s likely old enough to be your dad.
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
It’s an indie rock kinda week on Billboard’s charts, as Black Keys, Band of Horses, and LCD Soundsystem debut inside the top ten. As far as metal, you’ve got to go all the way down to #112 to find a debut. Exodus hit that spot, selling an impressive 4,500 copies of Exhibit B: The Human Condition. Cynic, A New Revolution, and To Speak of Wolves rounded out the debuts this week.
Notable Debuts:
Exodus, Exhibit B: The Human Condition (Nuclear Blast) #112, 4,500 copies
Take a second. Look up at that album cover. Pure genius.
Cynic, Re-Traced (Season of Mist) 750 copies
This remixed, stripped down EP featuring songs mostly from 2008′s Traced In Air contains one new song.
To Speak of Wolves, Myself > Letting Go(Tooth & Nail) 600 copies
This band is from North Carolina. I don’t know what else to say about them than that.
Anew Revolution, Imerica (E1) 450 copies
Remember Unloco and Slaves on Dope? These guys would probably rather you didn’t now. The band, which features alumni of both of those bands, just released their second album. Read more »
The metal world was dealt another devastating blow this past weekend with the passing of legendary front-man Ronnie James Dio after a brave fight against stomach cancer. Fronting some of metal’s most influential bands, Dio got his start in the late 60′s as the lead singer of Elf. From there Dio went on to be the lead vocalist in Rainbow and Black Sabbath. After singing on some of Sabbath’s best-selling records including Heaven and Hell, Dio went on to form his own band after his namesake. Recording a number of hits including ‘Holy Diver,’ ‘The Last In Line,’ and ‘Scared Heart,’ Dio cemented his status as one of metal’s greatest vocalists and went on to reuinte with his former Black Sabbath bandmates as Heaven and Hell in 2006. At one of his last public appearances, Dio was recently honored with the 2009 Revolver Golden God Awards as vocalist of the year.
After rumors began circulating about the singers’ battle with stomach cancer, his wife Wendy eventually confirmed the bad news:
Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May.
Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes
before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he
was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have
all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal… with this
terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever. Wendy
Metal Insider, while at the NARM music convention, initially got the news of Dio’s passing from a very close friend of his late Saturday night. We reported it as fact, and were later elated (and slightly embarrased) to see Wendy Dio’s update that he was still alive. Our joy turned to extreme sadness upon hearing the confirmation yesterday of his passing.
Ronnie James Dio was a gentleman whose civil tone informed his audience instead of talking down to them. From “Man on the Silver Mountain” in Rainbow to his worthy succession to Ozzy’s throne as the singer of Black Sabbath, to his rewarding solo career, Dio was a gentleman, a phenomenal singer, and a cornerstone of heavy metal.
If you’re in the New York area tonight and looking to kick off your weekend right, come join Metal Insider at the Arrow Bar (85 Ave. A between 5th and 6th) for Heavy Metal Happy Hour. It will be a listening party for Diamond Eyes, the highly-anticipated new album from Deftones, which comes out on Tuesday (4). Sure, you might have already listened to it streaming online, or illegally downloaded a dub of it. However, none of those options feature 2 for 1 drinks and Deftones giveaways courtesy of Reprise Records. We hear some surprises are in the works as well, so if you’re in the city, come hang out with the metal music industry elite (yeah, right), legally hear some good new music, and pregame for the rest of your weekend.
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
So four bands walk into an arena… OK, that’s not really the opening of a great Polish joke, but Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax played their first show together in Warsaw last night as part of the Sonisphere festival. Surprises? Well, not a ton, with one big exception: Anthrax played “Only,” possibly their most popular John Bush-era song, for the first time with their second singer, Joey Belladonna. Sure, Anthrax might be the slightest of the “Big Four” (translation: they definitely are), but for them to bust out “Only” is like Van Halen doing “Why Can’t This Be Love” with David Lee Roth. Or Ozzy singing “Heaven and Hell.” Or Vince Neil busting out “Hooligan’s Holiday.” Or some 
According to Jim Farber at the 
Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts of the week.
The metal world was dealt another devastating blow this past weekend with the passing of legendary front-man Ronnie James Dio after a 
If you’re in the New York area tonight and looking to kick off your weekend right, come join Metal Insider at the Arrow Bar (85 Ave. A between 5th and 6th) for Heavy Metal Happy Hour. It will be a listening party for Diamond Eyes, the highly-anticipated new album from Deftones, which comes out on Tuesday (4). Sure, you might have already listened to it streaming online, or illegally downloaded a dub of it. However, none of those options feature 2 for 1 drinks and Deftones giveaways courtesy of Reprise Records. We hear some surprises are in the works as well, so if you’re in the city, come hang out with the metal music industry elite (yeah, right), legally hear some good new music, and pregame for the rest of your weekend.
Posted by Bram Teitelman on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Metal By Numbers, Metal on Metal