Metal By Numbers: It’s No Mystery Why The Charts Are On Fire

Posted by on April 11, 2012

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.

 

Notable Sales:

Shinedown, Amaryllis (Atlantic) #10, 36,280
Despite a 66% decrease in sales after two weeks, the hard rock group still hanging in strong in the top 10. And if rumors about this year’s Uproar Tour are true, Shinedown might stay on the charts for a while.

 

Van Halen, A Different Kind of Truth (Interscope) #42, 10,120 sold
David Lee Roth and the Van Halen family receive an impressive 47% increase in sales, which helps them jump back into the top 50. This is most likely thanks to iTunes’ $6.99 sale on the album.

 

The Used, Vulnerable (Hopeless) #55, 8,400 sold
After a top ten debut, the pop punk band get kicked out of the top 50 thanks to a 73% decrease in sales. Hopefully more people will remember them during Warped Tour this Summer. And while 73% isn’t great, it’s nowhere near the record that was reached this week.

 

Five Finger Death Punch, American Capitalist (Prospect Park) #71, 6,400 sold
After 26 weeks on the charts, FFDP have sold 364,561 of their third album.

 

The Mars Volta, Noctourniquet (Warner Bros.) #90, 5,070 sold
A 76% decrease in sales kicks The Mars Volta down the charts by 76 spots. At least Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez can keep themselves busy this Summer with At The Drive-In’s reunion.

 

Meshuggah, Koloss (Nuclear Blast) #114, 4,390 sold
While the Swedish technical metal group may have experienced a 76% decrease in sales (kicking them out of the top 100), they’re latest album is still had the highest first-week sales in the history of Nuclear Blast Records’ U.S. branch.

 

Foo Fighters, Wasting Light (RCA) #135, 3,470 sold
Dave Grohl may or may not be hitting on Kurt Cobain’s 19 year old daughter Frances Bean (as Courtney Love claims). One thing that is for sure, though, is that the Foo Fighters’ latest album continues to sell well after 52 weeks on the charts.

 

Korn, The Path of Totality (Roadrunner) #136, 3,460 sold
The nu metal pioneers are probably looking forward to tonight’s Revolver Golden Gods Awards, since not only are they nominated for several awards, but will also be performing.

 

Overkill, The Electric Age (eOne) #170, 2,950 sold
After an impressive first week on the charts, the NJ thrash veterans drop down the charts by 97 spots. Nevertheless, it’s great to see Overkill still killing it on the charts.

 

Volbeat, Beyond Hell/Above Heaven (Universal) 1,870 sold
Another 7% decrease in sales for the Danish rockabilly metal group. Although, considering that this album has been hanging around the charts for 73 weeks now, it’s pretty impressive how well Volbeat’s latest album has been doing.

 

God Forbid, Equilibrium (Victory) 1,250 sold
A 63% decrease in sales is enough to kick the NJ metal group out of the top 200 in their second week. By the way, have you heard that we’re giving away a few prize packs from God Forbid?

 

Stick to Your Guns, Diamond (Sumerian) 1,200 sold
The melodic hardcore band also get kicked out of the top 200 thanks to a 73% decrease in sales. Their upcoming stint on the All Star Tour, though, should help sales out a bit this Summer.

 

3 Inches Of Blood, Long Live Heavy Metal (Century Media) 940 sold
They may not have lasted long in the top 200, but they’ll be on the road plenty in support of their new album. The Metal Alliance Tour comes to an end next week in Houston, TX, and then 3 Inches Of Blood hits the road with Municipal Waste and Black Tusk.

 

Corrosion Of Conformity, Corrosion Of Conformity (Candlelight) 580 sold
The reformed stoner metal group experiences another 22% decrease in sales after six weeks on the charts.

 

O.S.I., Fire Make Thunder (Metal Blade) 510 sold
The fourth album from Jim Martin and Kevin Moore’s collaboration is starting to lose a little fire on the charts thanks to a 73% decrease in sales.

 

Eluveitie, Helvetios (Nuclear Blast) 410 sold
For the sixth week in a row, Eluveitie remain as the top folk metal release of the week.

 

Black Breath, Sentenced to Life (Southern Lord) 400 sold
After a decent first week, Black Breath’s second album starts to lose steam.

 

Napalm Death, Utilitarian (Century Media) 380 sold
The death metal/ grindcore legends’ latest release isn’t dead on the charts yet.

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Categorised in: Metal By Numbers