Metal By Numbers is a weekly coluimn 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.

The record-buying public is still in hibernation, according to this week’s sales charts. Other than perpetual chart-topper Taylor Swift, no album sold more than about 49,000 copies this week. That’s got to be upsetting to just abour every label out there. If there’s a plus side to it, the overall low sales figures allowed Kreator to have a top 200 debut, which they might not have had otherwise. Kreator also takes a big jump up to #1 at FMQB, while Lamb of God nabs Most Added honors and storms the top ten at metal radio as well.

Notable Debuts:

(Hed) P.E. (New World Orphans, (Suburban Noize) #72, 6,600 copies sold.
Hey look – (Hed) P.E. has a new album out! Nice numbers for them, which shows that even if a genre is down, it’s not out.

Kreator, Hordes of Chaos (SPV) #165, 2,800 copies sold.
Great to see sales match airplay on this, the first big metal debut of 2009.

Various Artists, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Lakeshore) #169, 2,700 copies sold
While this is primarily remixes of modern rock songs, it’s kind of metal because the movie is about werewolves.

Satyricon, The Age Of Nero (KOCH) 1,700 copies sold
Nice start for the black metal band’s 7th album.

Saxon, Into the Labyrinth (SPV) 1,000 copies sold
Yeah NWOBHM, you go!

Bang Camaro, Bang Camaro II (Black Sword) 600 copies sold
If Dokken jammed with the Polyphonic Spree, it would sound something like this. That’s a good thing.

Notable Sales:

Kid Rock, Rock N’ Roll Jesus (Atlantic) #30, 13,700 copies sold
Only sort of metal, but damned if this album isn’t becoming this generation’s Dark Side of the Moon for chart longevity. Did anyone ever try syncing this album up with The Adventures of Joe Dirt?

AC/DC, Black Ice (Columbia) #39, 11.000 copies sold
This album will be double platinum in a month.

Metallica, Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.) #36, 11,100 copies sold
Looks like a lot of people picked up the Metallica album at the same time they picked up Black Ice.

Guns N’ Roses, Chinese Democracy (Geffen), #51, 9,200 copies sold
It might not hurt W. Axl Rose to do some press or tour or, like, something.. His album is past gold, though.

Slipknot, All Hope is Gone (Roadrunner), #76, 6,400 copies sold.
As long as Slipknot keeps selling this consistently, all hope is not gone.

Mudvayne, The New Game (Epic) #103, 4,500 copies sold
Should pass 150,000 sold next week.

Avenged Sevenfold, Avenged Sevenfold (Warner Bros) #140, 3,300 copies sold

Five Finger Death Punch, The Way of the Fist (The Firm) #158, 3,000 copies sold
A new guitar player isn’t slowing these guys down.

Bring Me The Horizon, Suicide Season (Epitaph) 1,100 copies sold
BMTH have taken off organically, based on the buzz from their live show.

The Answer, Never Too Late (The End) 550 copies sold
Another consistent week for this band, whose debut full length is out in March.

Gojira, The Way of All Flesh (Prosthetic) 500 copies sold
The video for “All The Tears” should help keep these guys top of mine

Austrian Death Machine, Total Brutal (Metal Blade) 450 copies sold
Wonder if their Christmas EP helped sell their debut.

The Sword, Gods of the Earth (Kemado) 450 copies sold
With New York dates coming up on the Metallica tour, this should help them sell even more.

Whitechapel, This is Exile (Metal Blade) 430 copies sold
Another good week for an album that’s quietly sold over 30,000 copies.

Bring Me The Horizon, Count Your Blessings (Earache) 420 copies sold
One of the only metal bands anywhere on the chart to have more than one album on at the same time.

FMQB Most Added

1. Lamb of God, “Set To Fail” (Epic)
2. Sepultura, A-Lex (SPV)
3. Viking Skull, Doom, Gloom, Heartache N’ Whiskey (Candlelight)
4. Satyricon, The Age of Nero (KOCH)
5. Cattle Decapitation, The Harvest Floor (Metal Blade)

FMQB Top Ten Albums

1. Kreator, Hordes of Chaos (SPV)
2. Mudvayne, The New Game (Epic)
3. Haunted, Versus (Century Media)
4. Cradle of Filth, Godspeed On the Devil’s Thunder (Roadrunner)
5. Cynic, Traced In Air (Season of Mist)
6. Six Feet Under, Death Rituals (Metal Blade)
7. In Flames, “The Mirror’s Truth” EP (Koch)
8. Lamb of God, “Set To Fail” single (Epic)
9. Gojira, The Way of All Flesh (Prosthetic)
10. All That Remains, Overcome (Prosthetic)