NEILSTEIN SOUNDSCAM: AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE NILE

It’s been a few weeks since we last ran Neilstein Soundscam, so in addition to covering last week’s big debuts — Periphery, Nile, and more — we’ll also take a look at a few albums that came out over the course of the past several weeks, including Whitechapel, Dying Fetus, Gojira and others.

3 PERIPHERY – PERIPHERY II

Last week: 11,974 (debut)

Huge. Their last (and first) album debuted around 4.5k in April 2010, impressive on its own, but this is a whole new level. Periphery are at the top of their game right now.

5 THE WORD ALIVE – LIFE CYCLES
Last week: 10,017 (debut)

Never checked this band out until just now. When will this brand of 5th-gen metalcore finally die? 

10 NILE – AT THE GATES OF SETHU
Last week: 3,888 (debut)

I don’t have any information about Nile’s prior Week 1 numbers, but in the abstract almost 4k units is great for a band that sounds like Nile do.

6 TENACIOUS D – RIZE OF THE FENIX
Last week: 5,026
Cume: 91,442

11 SLASH FEAT. MYLES KENNEDY & THE… – APOCALYPTIC LOVE
Last week: 3,665
Cume: 81,294

I’m grouping these two releases together and out of order for the following reason: Tenacious D has outsold Slash by 10k units (albeit with one extra week on the charts, but still). Crazy world we live in.

15 GOJIRA – L’ENFANT SAUVAGE
Last week: 2,954
Cume: 13,908

So, this debuted at 10.8k last week. That’s probably disappointing by Roadrunner standards (and especially so by Warner standards) but that’s about as big a first-week number as you’ll see from a band this brutal these days. Really impressive. Congrats, Gojira!

20 WHITECHAPEL – WHITECHAPEL
Last week: 2,230
Cume: 14,694

Now in Week 3. Solid numbers for a solid album. This Is Exile (2008) debuted with 5.9k, and A New Era of Corruption (2010) debuted with 10.6k, meaning this one fell in between. I wonder if the band’s new, more “mature” sound turned off some of their deathcore die-hards?

49 DELAIN – WE ARE THE OTHERS
Last week: 1,071 (debut)

55 VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE! – HELLBOUND & HEARTLESS
Last week: 897
Cume: 4,132

Third Week… or more like third weak, amirite?? This band did not turn into the massive cashcow Century had hoped they’d become, although I bet they’re still raking in the merch dollars (of which Century’s probably got a piece).

62 DYING FETUS – REIGN SUPREME
Last week: 764
Cume: 5,122

Another third week record. Try telling your aunt and uncle that a band called Dying Fetus exists. Then try telling them said band sold 5,000 records in three weeks. Mind will = blown.

69 LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY – ASCENDING TO INFINITY
Last week: 693 (debut)

71 DEVIL WEARS PRADA – DEAD&ALIVE
Last week: 667
Cume: 2,785

How the mighty have fallen. Maybe these guys should look at whatever The Word Alive are doing and emulate that. Then again, this is a live set… so the numbers should be taken lightly.

93 KATAKLYSM – IRON WILL: 20 YEARS DETERMINED
Last week: 494 (debut)

No surprise here — it’s a greatest hits comp, and who exactly is the target market for a Kataklysm greatest hits comp? I think it was mainly a promotional vehicle for their upcoming tour. 

-VN