It took four decades, but Black Sabbath, the British rock band that arguably spawned the entire heavy metal genre, finally earned a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart this week with it’s latest release,â€13,†which sold 155,000 copies, Billboard reported on Wednesday. Released on Vertigo, “13†is the group’s first set of new songs with most of its original lineup â€" the singer Ozzy Osbourne, the guitarist Tony Iommi and the bassist Geezer Butler â€" since the 1978 album“Never Say Die!†(The original drummer, Bill Ward, is not involved because of contract disputes.) The group’s only other Top 10 album was 1971’s “Master of Reality,†which rose to No. 8.
The heavy metal masters pulled off a similar feat in Britain last week, notching their first No. 1 album on the British album chart in 42 years. Its last No. 1 album there had been 1970’s “Paranoid.â€
Last week’s No. 1 album, Queens of the Stone Age’s “… Like Clockwork,†fell to No. 15. Daft Punk’s €œRandom Access Memories†remained in the second spot, followed by Justin Timberlake’s “20/20 Experience,†which got a boost from a sale on iTunes. The boy band Big Time Rush’s new album “24/Seven†entered the chart at No. 4, a disappointing performance given the sales of its last CD. Three country albums â€" Florida Georgia Line’s “Here’s to the Good Times,†Darius Rucker’s “True Believers†and Blake Shelton’s “Based on a True Story …†â€" held the next three spots. The rest of the Top 10 were new releases. The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Magnetic†entered at No. 8, followed by the “Man of Steel†soundtrack and the Lonely Island’s third release, “The Wack Album.â€
