NEILSTEIN SOUNDSCAM: SOCIAL DISTORTION GET CHEATED, TIMES OF GRACE CAN’T BE DEFEATED

The #4 album in the country last week came from Social Distortion, yet that album failed to register on the “Top Hard Music” chart I usually cover in this column where it would’ve been #1 by a long shot. I mean, I know Social Distortion aren’t exactly splitting eardrums anymore, but come on, Mike fucking Ness! Bizarre? Yeah, but this is the music industry we’re dealing with, the same group of retardos who regularly send us MP3s for review without any artist, label or track name labels whatsoever and who make us jump through flaming hoops to download them. So, surprising? Not at all.

Anyway, let’s look at said Social Distortion-omitting Top Hard Music chart for the week ending January, 25th, 2011. The new Times of Grace project featuring ex-Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach and current KsE guitarist Adam D. charted respectably in its debut, but there wasn’t a whole lot else out there in the metal world that was big enough to chart in its debut week (aside from Electric Wizard) despite a decent list of new albums. As such, there’s a lot of greatest hits packages leftover from the holiday rush showing up on the charts (Aerosmith, Ozzy, Van Halen, etc) and perennial butt-rock sellers like Nickelback, Disturbed, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, etc. Let’s take a look at a few notable releases:

Top Hard Music

2 TIMES OF GRACE – HYMN OF A BROKEN MAN
This week: 10,099 (debut)

Pretty solid I think, right? I don’t get the impression Roadrunner is putting a ton of money or effort into this because they know exactly what they have and what it’s worth.

20 AEROSMITH – BIG ONES
This week: 2,304
Cume: 4,126,307

American Idol effect! Columbia Records must be *pumped.* Instant Rimshot. Actually, I fail at jokes… Pump came out during the band’s Geffen era.

21 WE CAME AS ROMANS – TO PLANT A SEED
This week: 2,261
Cume: 52,174

This is only the record’s second week on the charts — this time around; it was originally released back in 2009. What’s responsible for this sudden surge? I have no idea. Maybe they have a song at radio right now.

64 ELECTRIC WIZARD –  BLACK MASSES
This week: 1,145 (debut)

I think that’s a pretty decent number for a niche band like Electric Wizard, no?

78 AEROSMITH DEVIL’S – GOT A NEW DISGUISE
This week: 1,008
Cume: 591,467

Another Aerosmith greatest hits packaging reaping the benefit of American Idol.

100 IRON MAIDEN – FINAL FRONTIER
This week: 870
Cume: 144,910

This isn’t significant other than that I think it’s a killer album and this will likely be its last week on the charts. Good showing for the Brits, I’d say, although obviously the cash is in the live show business for them.

Next week we’ll see if new releases from Ulcerate, Defiler, Mother of Mercy and others can crack the Top Hard Music charts, which these days seems to require selling roughly 900 copies.

-VN