Tool’s Fear Inoculum is the 8th Highest Selling Album in Pure Sales in 2019

Tool’s Fear Inoculum continues to destroy the charts, having already racked up a number of impressive achievement since its August 30 release. Amongst those: a #1 chart debut in several countries around the world, 270,000 units sold first week in the U.S. (252,000 of which were pure album sales, not streaming equivalents) without the aid of direct-to-fan web sales or live ticket packaging, every song on the album simultaneously placing in the top 25 of Billboard’s Top Rock Songs chart, astronomical streaming numbers and more.

And it hasn’t stopped. The Twitter account @chartdata, which tracks music charts and news in real time, reports that Fear Inocolum is the eighth best selling album of the year so far, in any genre, in pure album sales. Whereas other genres have seen a sharp decrease in pure album sales resulting in “sales” numbers and chart placements that are mostly the result of streaming equivalents (1,500 streams = 1 “sale”), metal has remained relatively strong in that area, with fans continuing to support their favorite artists by purchasing a copy of the album (vinyl, CD or download). That holds particularly true for Tool, whose fanbase is older and more likely to stick to traditional formats.

Taylor Swift’s Lover is the best selling release of 2019 so far in pure album sales, with albums by Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga and others appearing above Tool. The only other rock album to make the top ten is the soundtrack for the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, for which sales this year remained strong despite being released in 2018. Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding, featuring a cameo by Ozzy, landed at #10, although it hardly seems that it was Ozzy’s cameo that inspired Posty’s legions to turn out.

Tool recently announced a massive North American tour that begins in October, and while a lot of dates are already sold out you can still get tickets right here.