Avenged Sevenfold Earns Second No. 1 Album On Billboard 200

After two weeks at the top spot, Luke Bryan’s “Crash My Party” falls to No. 2. Rock band Avenged Sevenfold comes flying in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week. The group’s sixth studio album, Hail to the King, opens atop the list, selling 159,000 copies in its first week (according to Nielsen SoundScan).

It’s the second-largest sales week for the rock band, just shy of the debut of its last album, 2010’s Nightmare (No. 1 with 163,000).

The new album’s title track has climbed to No. 12 on the Hot Rock Songs chart, and spent the past four consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Active Rock airplay tally (viewable on Billboard.biz).

Avenged Sevenfold’s opening is also the largest week for a hard rock album in more than a year. The last hard rock set to sell more in a week was Linkin Park’s Living Things, when it launched at No. 1 with 223,000 on the July 14, 2012, chart. The two bands also happen to be labelmates—both are on Warner Bros. Records.

Avenged Sevenfold’s Hail to the King naturally also debuts at No. 1 on the Hard Rock Albums chart, the Alternative Albums chart and the overall Rock Albums chart. In total on the Billboard 200, Hail to the King is the band’s third top 10 effort, following Nightmare and a self-titled set in 2007 (No. 4).

Source: Billboard