European rockers debut at No 3 on Billboard 200
In head-to-head with Drake, legendary rock and metal icons Iron Maiden have scored the top-selling album of the week to achieve their highest charting album in the US ever. Entering one of the year’s most highly competitive chart races, Senjutsu officially debuts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The 10-song set bests their previous career-high US album chart position with The Book of Souls reaching its peak at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Additionally, Senjutsu makes its chart-topping debut on the Billboard charts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales, Independent Albums, Top Rock Albums, and Hard Rock Albums; No. 2 on Vinyl Album Sales; and No. 3 on the Artist 100 (chart week dated September 18, 2021).
The new studio album also notches Iron Maiden several chart milestones in the US as it becomes the second largest-selling hard rock album of the year tallying 64k in equivalent album units, 61k in album sales, giving the band their third Top 5 album and 11th top 20 of their career.
The promotional campaign for the album kicked off earlier this summer with the release of the debut single and video for the album track “The Writing On The Wall.” The song peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, where it currently remains in the Top 20, marking the group’s best radio chart performance in two decades, with the video having now accumulated over 12.5 million views on YouTube.
Just prior to the album’s release, the band released a second album track, “Stratego,” which entered the Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs chart at No. 22. Recently following with a second animated video, BMG secured a strategic national broadcast and online premiere with Cartoon Network’s [adult swim] – exposing the band and their music to an entirely new audience.
With solid partnerships primed at retail, BMG shipped 120,000 units of the highly-anticipated set in the US, an increase up 15% from their prior release The Book Of Souls, developing highly sought after exclusive limited-edition vinyl and CD configurations for major retailers including Target and Walmart, alongside Amazon exclusives, and strong support from independent retailers.
With Iron Maiden “takeover” specials airing on Ozzy’s Boneyard and Volumes at SiriusXM, streaming platforms prominently placed the music on numerous high-profile playlists, for the first time, including Apple Music’s Optimus Metallum, with Spotify, Pandora, and Amazon all displaying eye catching promotional billboards dedicated to the album release throughout New York City’s Times Square. With the added support from digital services, the band’s streaming growth accelerated with first week on-demand audio streams increasing 200% and first week on-demand video streams increasing 400% from their previous studio release The Book of Souls to Senjutsu.
The band is set to resume the final leg of their Legacy of the Beast World Tour in summer 2022. The trek began in 2018 and has since been taken around the world, playing to almost two million people.
