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.
63. That’s the number of albums that would have put Mastodon in the top ten with Crack the Skye. As it is, the band’s 4th album sold 17,000 copies more than Blood Mountain, their major label debut, which is huge. At FMQB, the band is duking it out with Lamb of God for most-played at metal radio while grabbing most added honors.
Notable Debuts:
Mastodon, Crack the Skye, (Reprise) Debut #11, 41,000 copies
From cult band on Relapse to a near top ten debut in only 7 years.
Hammerfall, No Sacrifice No Victory (Nuclear Blast) 1,450 sold
The band’s seventh album off to a pretty decent start.
Derek Sherinian, Molecular Heinosity, (Inside Out) 450 copies sold
Former Dream Theater keyboardist found 450 music geeks to pick up his latest solo album.
Notable Sales:
Hollywood Undead, Swan Songs (Octone) #54, 10,000 copies sold
Love them or hate them, this is a great artist development story.
Static-X, Cult of Static (Warner Bros.) #69, 8,150 copies sold
The band takes a 57% drop in their second week, which is about normal.
Metallica, Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.) #77, 7,300 copies sold
After being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this week, the album should find some new life over the next few weeks.
Lamb of God, Wrath (Epic) #81, 7,100 copies sold
They’ve sold 120,000 copies in 5 weeks.
Slipknot, All Hope is Gone (Roadrunner), #106, 5,200 copies sold.
AC/DC, Black Ice (Columbia) #115, 4,800 copies sold
Bring Me The Horizon, Suicide Season (Epitaph) 1,450 copies sold
A guitarist departure isn’t slowing BMTH down any.
God Forbid, Earthsblood (Century Media) 950 copies sold
Speaking of guitarist departures… 12,000 sold in 5 weeks. Not too shabby.
Kylesa, Static Tensions (Prosthetic) 700 copies sold
Only a 30% drop from the debut week, a good sign.
Winds of Plague, Decimate the Weak (Century Media) 450 copies sold
After having sold nearly 40,000 copies, this year-old album appears on the chart for the first time.
FMQB Most Added
1. Mastodon, Crack the Skye (Reprise)
2. Queensryche, American Soldier (Rhino)
3. Volbeat, Guitars Gangsters and Cadillac Blood (Mascot)
4. Nightwish, Made In Hong Kong (And In Various Other Places) (Roadrunner)
5. Hellsaw, Cold (Napalm)
FMQB Top Ten Albums
1. Lamb of God, Wrath (Epic)
2. Mastodon, Crack the Skye (Reprise)
3. Static-X, Cult of Static (Reprise)
4. Lazarus A.D., The Onslaught (Metal Blade)
5. Chimaira, “Secrets of the Dead” single (Ferret Music)
6. Sepultura, A-Lex (SPV)
7. Napalm Death, Time Waits for No Slave (Century Media)
8. Queensryche, American Soldier (Rhino)
9. Cannibal Corpse, Eviscaration Plague (Metal Blade)
10. Kreator, Hordes of Chaos (SPV)
