“Metal Galaxy,” the new album from Japan’s cute idol/hard rock group Babymetal, has made history with its debut on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart. The album sold upwards of 30,000 copies for the third week of October, putting it atop the chart and making Babymetal the first act from Asia ever to occupy the No. 1 slot in the 13-year history of the weekly tally.
The new LP has also landed the top spot on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart, and debuted on the all-format Billboard 200 at No. 13.
Babymetal’s previous high on the Rock Albums chart was at No. 6, with their 2016 release “Metal Resistance.”
The band has recently completed a 20-city U.S. tour, which included dates at the Forum in L.A. and above, at the Warfield in San Francisco on Oct. 4.
Photo by DARREN YAMASHITA