MetalSucks

Not that we had any doubt Baroness’ Blue Record would have a strong debut, but it’s always nice to see the proof. And Skeletonwitch’s ripping new record Breathing the Fire had a great debut too; I’m elated to see the band sell as many records first week as they did. Elsewhere it was the usual radio rock / alt-metal suspects dominating the charts. Click through to see chart positions and sales figures.

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The infamous Now That’s What They Call Music comp, now it’s thirtieth iteration (!), will never stop selling. Nor will Hannah Montana. Given, it’s tough for any true metal band to crack the Billboard 200, but Mastodon did just once again that by notching a #11 debut with Crack the Skye, beat out metal-wise only by Papa Roach (ugh). Elsewhere, we got some surprises from Chris Cornell, Twiztid (!?) and others. Sales figures for those and other notable hard rock and metal releases after the jump.

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Ok, ok, fine, THIS is quite obviously the worst tour ever. But the recently announced lineup for Cruefest 2 is giving it a run for its money; Godsuck, Theory of a Deadsuck, Saving Abel (no less sucky, but left “suck”-less here for clarity’s sake) and Drowning Suck will support the ever-fading but still marginally credible Motley Crue.

Funny story about Saving Abel. I was invited to a showcase for the band on the roof of their record label’s building, and before the band played their manager slipped up and introduced them as “Saving Label.” Whoops!

Anyway, the Crue seem to have acknowledged that the only fans who will still patronize their umpteenth reunion tour are the whitest of the whitey white trash; fitting then that they’ve titled this year’s tour “The White Trash Circus.”

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