Megadeth have cause for celebration this morning. Last week's Billboard charts came in and Dystopia charted at number three, right behind Justin Bieber and Adele. It's Megadeth's highest charting debut since Countdown to Extinction debuted at #2 in 1991.
But, chart positions don't mean much. What about actual sales? Well, sales are actually way up from their previous album, the almost-universally panned Super Collider, which only sold 29,000 copies first week and bowed in at #6 in the charts. Dystopia saw a 65% increase with 48,000 scanned (although I'm sure a lot of that has to do with streaming numbers. For the record, 1,000 streams are the equivalent of one sale.)
Still, a 65% increase in sales is absolutely nothing to scoff at, especially in today's music economy. Clearly, the addition of Chris Adler and Kiko Loureiro were a major help, as was the more aggressive sound of the new album compared to the relatively tame Super Collider.
Did you pick up the album? What are your thoughts? Stream the album below.
Megadeth is about to hit the road for a massive North American tour. Dates here.