According to Hits Daily Double, the companion web site of music industry tip sheet HITS, AC/DC’s new album, „Black Ice“ — which arrived in the U.S. on Monday (October 20) exclusively at Wal-Mart stores, Walmart.com and ACDC.com — is reportedly blowing the doors off of the retail giant. Sales for „Black Ice“ are outpacing the EAGLES‚ first week, which was also a Wal-Mart exclusive. Estimates for first week are currently ranging north of 800,000, which would make it the biggest Sony BMG release in the past two years. „Black Ice“ is also scoring huge sales figures around the world. In Germany, the album is trending No. 1, with a shot at 250,000. In the UK, it’s on track for 120-140,000 and headed for No. 1. The band is also racking up record numbers and will go No. 1 in Canada, France, Italy, Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Norway and Portugal.
Wal-Mart has reportedly purchased 2.5 million copies of „Black Ice“ on a no-return basis.
The band’s last effort, 2000’s „Stiff Upper Lip“, sold 131,000 copies in its first week of release and has shifted more than 900,000 units to date.
AC/DC has sold 26.4 million albums since 1991, when SoundScan first began tracking record sales, making the group second only to THE BEATLES.
„Perpetual Flame“, the new album from the legendary Swedish guitarist YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
„Versus“, the new album from the Swedish metal band THE HAUNTED, sold around 1,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. This represents roughly half of the opening tally of its predecessor, „The Dead Eye“, which premiered with 3,200 units back in November 2006.
French progressive metallers GOJIRA sold around 4,200 copies of their new album, „The Way of All Flesh“, in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 138 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD’s cover artwork (see below) was created by guitarist/vocalist Joe Duplantier, who was also responsible for the artwork for GOJIRA’s previous album, 2005’s „From Mars to Sirius“
Massachusetts metallers UNEARTH sold just under 11,000 copies of their new album, „The March“, in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 45 on The Billboard 200 chart.
„Dreamer“, the new album from the Indiana-based Christian metalcore band HASTE THE DAY, sold 7,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 68 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was produced by Andreas Magnusson, who has previously worked with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and OH SLEEPER.
„The Invaluable Darkness“, the three-disc package of 2 DVDs plus a bonus audio CD from Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR, sold 1,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 5 on the Top Music Videos chart.
Bring Me The Horizon´s new album „Suicide Season“ entered the UK Albums Chart at #47, and the Australian ARIA Albums Chart at #28.