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Neilstein Soundscam

SOUNDSCAN WEDNESDAY: HOW HIGH CAN HIGH ON FIRE GO?

 Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 2:30pm by

Apparently Sade has a new hit record and scored the #1 record last week. Who knew? Good for her… Sade’s pretty rad. I know at least one death metal dude who will be REALLY psyched to hear this news.

But I’m guessing you all care more about the new High on Fire record. Let’s find out how that and other metal and hard rock releases charted last week after the jump.

61    ZOMBIE*ROB  -  HELLBILLY DELUXE 2
This week: 8,892
Cume: 89,587

62    HIGH ON FIRE  -  SNAKES FOR THE DIVINE
This week: 8,631 (debut)

That’s a pretty good number for this band, no? Seems like E1 is getting the hang of marketing metal releases.

77    SHINEDOWN  -  SOUND OF MADNESS
This week: 7,164
Cume: 955,695

86    ORIANTHI  -  BELIEVE
This week: 6,724
Cume: 75,620

I didn’t realize how huge the song “According to You” is until I left New York and heard it all over the radio… not just in the rest of America, but in fucking Egypt. Constantly. I hope she sells 10x this many records and helps to close the gender gap for guitar players.

89    MUSE  -  RESISTANCE
This week: 6,646
Cume: 418,804

96    ALICE IN CHAINS  -  BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE
This week: 5,979
Cume: 380,628

Very happy to see this is still selling.

102    FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH  -  WAR IS THE ANSWER
This week: 5,662
Cume: 188,993

116    WALKER*BUTCH & THE BLACK WIDOWS  -  I LIKED IT BETTER WHEN YOU HAD NO HEART
This week: 4,689 (debut)

If you’re wondering what Butch Walker is doing on a metal site I suggest you consult Wikipedia. Fucking brilliant songwriter. Fan for life.

131    HIM  -  SCREAMWORKS
This week: 4,251
Cume: 37,399

That Cume number is less than I was expecting. I have a feeling this band never quite caught on in the U.S. the way label folks were expecting.

133    MUDVAYNE  -  MUDVAYNE
This week: 4,173
Cume: 90,004

137    SLIPKNOT  -  ALL HOPE IS GONE
This week: 4,041
Cume: 902,595

Another platinum album on the way, although Roadrunner is surely claiming this one is already platinum because it’s “shipped” more than 1 million units. I fucking hate that bullshit standard. Still, kudos to Slipknot and RR.

178    HALESTORM  -  HALESTORM
This week: 2,931
Cume: 156,120

191    FEAR FACTORY  -  MECHANIZE
This week: 2,748
Cume: 17,721

Gotta be the biggest release Candlelight has put out in years.

Elsewhere on the Hard Music charts, one release that didn’t chart high enough to make it onto the overall Top 200:

71    CARNIFEX  -  HELL CHOSE ME
This week: 1,403
Cume: 4,616

Generic number for a generic band.

Looking forward to getting back into these Soundscan columns as the release schedule for Spring heats up. Especially 4/20… that’s a monster day for metal releases.

-VN

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  • Brian \m/(-_-)\m/

    love that halestorm is still selling well. and i LOVE that sound of madness is still top 100. going platinum soon boys, just wait for it :)

    • bearbomb

      Halestorm? Really?

      • Brian \m/(-_-)\m/

        really really.
        im a huge fan. say what you will but i really like these guys.

        • bearbomb

          Aaaaalrighty.

          • Brian \m/(-_-)\m/

            hey, to each their own, right?

        • joshkid

          I totally agree. Saw both these bands live and they tear it up. And yes, Sound of Madness totally rules and Halestorm’s album is awesome too.

    • stu1

      Going platinum soon??? It’s about an 1/8 of the way there. It’ll be LUCKY if it hits gold, which it won’t.

      • Brian \m/(-_-)\m/

        um, i was talking about shinedown, who are about 19/20 of the way there. and halestorm prob will hit gold anyways, but thats not the point of what i was saying

        • stu1

          Oh, sorry, my bad. Didn’t pay attention to the names of the garbage albums by either garbage band. There’s no way Haelstorm’s hitting gold unless there’s some secret other big hit single on that album. It’s been out over 6 months and hasn’t hit 200k yet. Not happening.

          • joshkid

            GARBAGE. WOW. Your life sucks. I hope that you at least gave those two albums a full (open minded) spin before you spewed this bullshit out of your mouth. Both these bands rule, and I listen to br00tal bands t00. Suck it.

          • stu1

            Has nothing to do with “boootal.” Has to do with really bad, hickcentric, middle of the road, bland, active radio rock. The stuff is horrible. It’s a thing called “taste.” You see these bands at your state fair?

          • joshkid

            This is a reply to your comment below. You just contradicted yourself in the same paragraph dude. How can you say that they’re “really bad, hickcentric (whateva that means), middle of the road, bland, active radio rock”, and then say that it’s just your “taste”?!
            And btw I saw Halestorm open for the mighty Shinedown in a nicely sized venue in NYC.
            Peace dude, and go listen to HIM.

          • http://www.johnkanesmith.com FuckethThineSelf

            ha! shinedowns first album was decent, but they definitely changed to be even more radio-friendly.

          • stu1

            There’s no contradiction in there, genius. What’s your point about the venue? That there’s lot of other people who like shit music? Thanks for the update. I also never said I liked HIM. Knowing about a band doesn’t necessarily make one a “fan.” Go change someone’s oil in Jersey.

  • Masonic Youth

    The local BestBuy sold out of High on Fire within a day or two. They restocked this week. (Unfortunately our last indie record store here closed in 2008.)

    • metalguy

      really? the add in my saturday paper listed their album as “hot from an up and coming band”. made my morning

      • Mike

        Yeah, and they sold it for $8 too. Glad to see this band doing so well.

        • Masonic Youth

          I got a raincheck when they were sold out but the restocked discs were still marked at $8 again this week.

    • bearbomb

      Bonus tracks if you get it at BB for those who don’t know.

  • Discipleofthewatch

    I bought the High On Fire Album and caught some shit for having bought it from some of my bros who don’t like HOF. Too bad, they can go listen to Savage Circus.

    • Goolash

      What is wrong with people? Not liking HOF, that is a sin in my book

      • Discipleofthewatch

        And they’re my best metalhead friends, we go to lots of shows together, but don’t always have the same taste in music, obviously.

    • HandBanana

      And the sad thing is that Savage Circus sucks balls. Who gives a rat’s ass about gay prog metal from Germany?

  • Shinaain

    “If you’re wondering what Butch Walker is doing on a metal site I suggest you consult Wikipedia. Fucking brilliant songwriter. Fan for life.”

    All one has to do to spot the rubes is to check out who’s questioning Butch Walker’s metal cred. Too easy. So long his producing activities (I don’t care who) earn him the resources to do whatever he wants, I’m happy. (Tell me I sold out, go ahead…)

    In regards to HIM: “That Cume number is less than I was expecting. I have a feeling this band never quite caught on in the U.S. the way label folks were expecting.”

    It’s what I expect. I would be (pleasantly) surprised if they WERE bigger. I just don’t see that the majority of the American listening public is as quick as the rest of the world to embrace artists that, to a certain extent, transcend genre — in effect, wearing ALL of their influences as hearts on their sleeves, as HIM do. But then being a metal fan, I’m accustomed to the music I listen to not being huge. I’m just happy I don’t have to go the import route to hear what these guys are throwing down.

    86 ORIANTHI – BELIEVE

    Still on my list of things to do…

    …And…

    SADE HAS THE NUMBER ONE *fistpump*

    Class, style, and songs to make babies to win the day!

  • myke

    good for high on fire that album hasn’t left my cd player all week great album

    • cougar party

      me neither. My favorite High on Fire album yet. Fucking great album.

  • iolanach

    “I hope she sells 10x this many records and helps to close the gender gap for guitar players.”

    Really? Who gives a fuck.

  • Daniel

    Butch Walker should have a home full of Grammies! Every album he puts out is genius!

  • William Grimmkvlt

    Awesome for HOF. Snakes For The Divine kicks your mama’s ass.

    Halestorm can go eat a bucket of herpes. They’re what’s wrong with the music business today. A bunch of suits sitting around a boardroom saying, “According to our focus groups and market research, what the Rock scene needs right now is a hornier, less religious Flyleaf. A Nickelback with a vagina. Sid, Maury, get to work on that after lunch and by tomorrow morning we’ll send out the first single to all the Clear Channel stations, along with the other hundreds of Breaking Three Days Of Seething Puddddle Of Deadman bands we signed this week. Flooding the market, what does that mean?”

    • Kuranes

      “Sid, Maury”… I laughed.

  • http://myspace.com/northwestroyale Blake

    Please make this a weekly column! I love this stuff.

  • stu1

    HIM definitely didn’t do what they label expected. I think I remember hearing they got a HUGE amount of money to sign and they’ve never taken off here the way they did in Europe.

    • Shinaain

      Before I heard the new single, “Heartkiller,” on some pop radio station the other day, I can’t recall ever having heard a HIM song on the radio before. Mind you, I don’t exactly listen to the radio on a regular basis and haven’t for many years. But I’ll venture to say the label could probably do a little better job of that stateside.

      To be honest with you, seeing as I’m not exactly a connoisseur of popular culture, I didn’t sync up with this band until recently and have spent the time since voraciously consuming all I can in order to get schooled on all I’ve missed. The reason I mention popular culture is because, as far as I can tell, “Viva La Bam” did more for HIM in this country than just about anything else and THAT show has been off the air for years. I guess it’s a good thing that show seems to be on heavy syndication on MTV2. (I wouldn’t know – no TV and I only see it when I go home to visit my parents.)

      They’re awesome, though. Like I said, I’m trying to make up for lost time, but I wish I had caught on sooner.

      • stu1

        Wings of a Butterfly was on the radio back a few years ago. The label has spent a shit load on that band through the years. Viva La Bam got them started here for sure. That’s pretty much how most people knew who they were. That’s before they had a record deal in the US.

        • Shinaain

          “Wings of a Butterfly” was off of *Dark Lights.* Wasn’t that the first album from a Finnish artist to be certified gold in the U.S.? Guess that explains that, then…

          At the end of the day, the label can do only so much. If people aren’t receptive to it, then there’s not much more to be done. I now think Valo is one of the most sophisticated lyricists and songwriters of our age, and there’s certainly A LOT to process in HIM’s music. Few artists bother with nuance and subtly anymore, but HIM’s music keeps flying that flag and those elements are just as integral to the listening experience as the full throttle attack. I think *Screamworks* is an amazing album, but I predict most people won’t “get” it – which is entirely unfortunate.

          I’ll hold off on gushing my thoughts on this album (of which I have MANY) until I see the MS review. I’ve had it for 2 weeks but only unlocked the code and “got” it over the weekend; nevertheless, this album already means a lot to me.

          Honestly, albums like *Screamworks* make ME want to blog. Perish the thought…

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Lekberg/779008102 Jason Lekberg

    yeah Sade! :)

  • I_did_all_for_the_sn00ki

    Sade > Halestorm

  • joshkid

    Why the fuck did Mutiny Within only sell 900 copies? I just don’t get it.
    http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=136054

  • Andy Synn

    This is probably going to get me a lot of shit, but I hope Carnifex continue to sell a steady number of records and continue on as a band…

    With no prior knowledge of the group (and, if this is relevant, my general preference is for bands other than their type) I caught them on a tour a couple fo years back and was honestly very impressed by their performance. They did not seem to thinkt they were better or more cool than anyone else and played their music with real passion and dedication. Granted they did at times rely too heavily upon the heavy chugging deathcore breakdown (fun though it was, in all fairness) but their riffs and drumming were actually quite impressive live.

    Again, far from my favourite band in the world, but I think they do what they do for the right reasons.

  • The Ghost of D. Boon

    It doesn’t matter what gender she is, Orianthi sucks gigantically. It’s like the worst of both worlds: Boring pointless shred jackhammered into MOR radio soft rock in the most awkward way ever.

    Orianthi is a virtuoso, in that she sucks in ways and to an extent that has never been seen before.

  • Bliff Curton

    Out of these I am really digging the new Fear Factory, their very best since S.O.A.N.M. & Demanufacture. The new High on Fire is probably my favorite record by them yet! It’s rad to see old bands put out heavier stuff as the years go on like Killing Joke! The new Sade is dope too, just sayin:)

  • West Virginia

    96 ALICE IN CHAINS – BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE
    This week: 5,979
    Cume: 380,628

    id figure they would have sold more than that as much as “Your Desicion” gets played on the radio. Seen in USA today that it had the most spins on rock radio out of any other tune.

    Slipknot Snuff wasnt far behind.

    • stu1

      Even considering radio play, that’s a pretty big number in 2010 for a rock band, who hasn’t crossed into pop radio (linkin park, killers, kings of leon)