Megadeth’s ‘The Sick, The Dying…And The Dead!’ Debuts At No. 3 On Billboard 200
The result marks the band’s eighth top 10-charting album in North America.
According to Billboard, Megadeth’s new album, The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!, sold 48,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marks the band’s eighth top 10-charting album.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.
Of The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!’s 48,000 units earned for the week, album sales comprise 45,000, SEA units comprise 3,000 and TEA units.
Megadeth’s previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were Countdown to Extinction (No. 2, 1992), Youthanasia (No. 4, 1994), Cryptic Writings (No. 10, 1997), United Abominations (No. 8, 2007), Endgame (No. 9, 2009), Super Collider (No. 6, 2013) and Dystopia (No. 3, 2016).
The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! arrived on September 2 via UMe. The LP consolidates a furious return to form that began with the Grammy-winning “Dystopia”, while pushing forward musically and marking frontman Dave Mustaine’s recent triumph over throat cancer.
Reuniting Dave with co-producer Chris Rakestraw (Danzig, Parkway Drive),who together helmed 2016’s Dystopia, the album was recorded at Mustaine’s home studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Bassist Steve DiGiorgio temporarily stepped in to record the album. With the kick-off of Megadeth’s recent tour, Megadeth alumnus James LoMenzo rejoined the Megadeth family as permanent bass player.
The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! melds the ultra-frenetic riffing, fiercely intricate solos, and adventurous spirit the quartet are known for, all laced with signature virtuosity and precision and Mustaine’s singular sardonic snarl. This album combines all the crushing musical motifs that have made Megadeth both repeat metal disruptors and revered genre flagbearers.
