Metal By Numbers is a weekly column in which we look at the top metal sellers and debuts 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.
What kind of world do we live in when the new John Mayer album sells 285,000 copies and the awesome new Devin Townsend album only sells 1/95th of that? Aside from that, Them Crooked Vultures moves a solid 70,000 or so copies to land at #12, which is a more manageable 23 times more albums than Devin shifted. Album sales should skyrocket next week with Black Friday/pre-holiday shopping figuring into the equation.
Also, it should be mentioned that this is the first week where catalog albums are counting in the overall 200. There aren’t blatant differences, but whereas a few weeks ago, the #200 album sold about 2,400 copies, this week, the #200 album sold about 4,300. The most obvious albums benefitting from this are Trans-Siberian Orchestra, who had all of their other albums debut. Michael Jackson’s Thriller is still selling about 10,000/week too.
Notable Debuts:
Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures
This is probably in between what the last Foo Fighters and last QOTSA album sold. And yes, we’re counting these guys as metal, because even though it’s really just a solid rock album, the pedigree of the members is pretty awesome
Motley Crue, Greatest Hits (Eleven Seven Music) #82, 9,200 sold
The Crue have a greatest hits album out? Really?
Devin Townshend Project, Addicted
This album is about 5 times as good as Ki, was. And Ki was a pretty solid album.
Swallow the Sun, New Moon
I wonder how many Twilight fans bought this thinking it was related to the promise keeper sparkly vampire movie.
Notable Sales:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Night Castle 
A 28% increase this week? 170,000 sold in 4 w eeks? The TSO dudes love Christmas more than anyone!
Flyleaf, Memento Mori
I kind of know that “Sick of You” song, but are there any devout Flyleaf fans out there? And I don’t mean devoutly religious.
Alice In Chains, Black Gives Way To Blue (Virgin) #80, 10,000 sold
This album’s halfway to gold and sold about the same as it did last week.
Slayer, World Painted Blood
Up to 64,000 sold in 3 weeks.
Hollywood Undead, Desperate Measures
A 59% drop from last week. Looks like this one is sinking faster than their actual album.
KISS, Sonic Boom
Compared to the other Wal Mart exclusives, it seems like KISS’ album is underperforming, but it’s almost sold 200,000 copies in 7 weeks, which can’t be viewed as anything less than a win.
Wolfmother, Cosmic Egg
I finally heard this album, and ya know what? It’s not terrible. It rips off Zeppelin more than their last one did, but I’ve heard worse.
Five Finger Death Punch, War Is The Answer
This is selling roughly about the same as it did last week, which isn’t terrible.
AC/DC, Backtracks 
This is a pretty good package, consisting of rarities, live stuff, and a DVD. The downside? Everything still pretty much sounds like AC/DC.
Dethklok, Dethalbum II
102,00 sold. Boo ya!
Hollywood Undead, Swan Songs
The good news is that this will probably drop off the top 200 soon and I won’t need to keep writing about them.
Atreyu, Congregation of the Damned
43,000 sold in four weeks. Not bad, but not great.
Rammstein, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da 
Buy the box set and you can make six female friends of yours very happy.
Nile, Those Whom the Gods Detest
The band’s sixth album has sold 5,000 so far.
Baroness, Blue Record (Relapse) 900 sold
This went up in sales this week, which might be due to it being named Decibel‘s #1 album of the year.
Halford, Halford III: Winter Songs
Christmas music is made for good singers, and you can’t deny that Rob Halford’s one hell of a vocalist.
Pelican, What We All Come to Need
Would a tour with these guys, Russian Circles, and Godspeed! You Black Emporer be awesome or boring? Tough call.
Epica, Design Your Universe
This is the only symphonic metal band on this chart, unless you count Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Austrian Death Machine, Double Brutal
People keep getting to the choppa, so to speak. Wait, what?
Attack Attack!, Someday Came Suddenly
The best Attack Attack! attack was when that dude threw something at the guitarist while they were playing.
Bring Me The Horizon, Suicide Season
This is up in sales over last week too. It’s amazing how well this keeps selling.
Immortal, All Shall Fall
Are there any black metal bands that took their makeup corpse paint off?
The Red Chord, Fed Through the Teeth Machine
I really want to like The Red Chord more than I do, and it’s not for lack of trying.
Russian Circles, Geneva
In soviet russia, suicide squeezes you!
Shrinebuilder, Shrinebuilder (Neurot)
This has sold about 3,000 copies in five weeks, which to repeat on the math tip, has sold about 1/23rd of what the other supergroup sold in one week.
FMQB Most Added
1. Swallow the Sun, New Moon
(Spinefarm)
2. These Are They, Who Linger
(Unruly Sounds/The End)
3. AM Conspiracy, “Welt” single (Burnhill Union)
4. Elis, Catharsis (Deluxe Edition)
5. Theatre of Tragedy, Forever Is the World
FMQB Top Ten Albums
1. Slayer, World Painted Blood
(Columbia/American)
2. Rammstein, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da (Vagrant)
3. Dethklok Dethalbum II
4. Converge, Axe To Fall (Epitaph)
5. Megadeth, Endgame (Roadrunner)
6. Shadows Fall Retribution (Everblack Industries/Ferret)
7. Hatebreed, Hatebreed (E1)
8. Baroness, The Blue Album (Relapse)
9. Between the Buried and Me, The Great Misdirect (Victory)
10. Throwdown, Deathless (E1)
