Album sales of the most famous metal bands in America?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Mountain Cowboy, Sep 24, 2017.

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  1. Jeff Kent

    Jeff Kent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Kisco, NY
    I'd say Metallica broke out of the traditional metal audience with the Black Album while the others were only popular within the metal crowd.
     
  2. cgw

    cgw Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate NY
    Absolutely correct.
    Signed, The Ramones are not punk
     
    Weirwolfe, ianuaditis and keefer1970 like this.
  3. cgw

    cgw Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate NY
    Megadeth just played a small arena here (which still agrees with your point)
     
  4. Jeff Kent

    Jeff Kent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Kisco, NY
    I know it's a big country and some artists are more popular in other areas, but I'm in NYC and Maiden just played two sold out shows at the Barclays Center at the end of July in addition to shows in Newark and Philly in early June. Sometimes ticket sales don't equate to album sales. Though it should be noted that Maiden's last tour was a New Stuff tour and not a Nostalgia jaunt.
     
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  5. RK2249

    RK2249 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Jersey
    Actually they've had 5 platinum albums with only one selling more than 1 million (Countdown To Extinction at 2 million)
     
  6. Mountain Cowboy

    Mountain Cowboy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    Motley Crue are a glam metal band. Glam metal is hard rock, not heavy metal.
     
  7. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

    I don't believe any of the OP numbers.
     
    Motorcity supernaut likes this.
  8. Timeaisis

    Timeaisis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    I feel like Iron Maiden is more popular, but British Heavy Metal really didn't take off quite as hugely here than it did over the pond...so maybe that's actually right. But I didn't think it was *that* different.
     
  9. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    35 isn't out of the realm of possibility since some or many of those sales could be 1.9 million, 4.8 million, etc. yet still counting as 1X and 4X.
     
    ianuaditis likes this.
  10. impalaboy

    impalaboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boise, Idaho
    Queensrÿche should be on that list.
    According to Wiki: Queensrÿche has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, including over 6 million albums in the United States.
     
    stodgers and mikedifr0923 like this.
  11. Thoughtships

    Thoughtships Forum Resident

    Location:
    Devon, UK
    That's the funniest thing I've read all week. Thanks.

    Sabbath not metal? Yes. And I'm the Pope of Siam. And an alien.
     
  12. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Little surprised that Priest sold more than Maiden, but in my books, thats holds true as I only love Maidens 1st 2 albums with D'Ianno on vocals.

    Can't believe Motörhead's "Ace Of Spades" never went gold... :sigh:
     
  13. Meyer

    Meyer Heavy Metal Parking Lot Resident

    Those numbers all look rather tame to me. Pretty sure Maiden have sold 10x that amount just in t-shirts.
     
  14. Fusionfan

    Fusionfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    The numbers sound off to me. Also I'd include some other bands on that list who are in related genres just for comparison.

    Maiden are probably the biggest real metal band so to speak after Metallica.

    Maiden consistently sell out 20,000 seaters on their own.

    What might be more interesting would be who are the biggest metal bands to emerge post 1990 and what do their numbers look like...

    For me in terms of quality and worldwide presence, Opeth is the standard bearer of metal after the classics though I'm sure there are bigger metal related acts.

    Any ideas?
     
  15. Curveboy

    Curveboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
  16. Fusionfan

    Fusionfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    Not really a metal band but could be included for comparison.
     
  17. Curveboy

    Curveboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    More metal than most!
     
  18. Fusionfan

    Fusionfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    No, not even close. More metal than most metal?

    Iron Maiden, Metallica, Priest, Megadeth etc?
     
    ianuaditis likes this.
  19. Lands End Drums

    Lands End Drums Forum Resident

    Guns N' Roses - 45 million albums sold in the US...

    Unless by the extremely narrow definition of what constitutes metal they're a "hard rock" band or whatever.
     
  20. Curveboy

    Curveboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    I think without KISS Metallica, Megadeth and Maiden wouldn't exist.
     
  21. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    From RIAA:
    MOTLEY CRUE
    Cert. Units (In Millions): 25
    Gold Units: 12
    Platinum Units: 8
    Multi Platinum Units: 5
    Diamond Units: 0
    Format: Standard
     
  22. Fusionfan

    Fusionfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    Kiss had little impact on those bands from what I can tell. You must be thinking of Deep Purple, Sabbath and Priest.

    You know...the bands they always mention.

    Hell, Bruce Dickinson mentions Van der Graaf Generator a lot more than Kiss (hint: he never does) but that doesn't make Van der Graaf metal.

    Either way, Kiss is hard rock at best.
     
    four sticks likes this.
  23. Mountain Cowboy

    Mountain Cowboy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    Yep, I forgot to add them on the list.
     
    impalaboy likes this.
  24. yarbles

    yarbles Too sick to pray

    NOT Metal.



    Anyway, where is Bon Jovi? Def Leppard? They've sold a ton.
     
  25. Mountain Cowboy

    Mountain Cowboy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    None of Iron Maiden albums since Bruce's comeback went Gold in the US.
     
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