Norma Jean miss Billboard 200 for first time since 2002

Challenging times persist for some of yesteryear's biggest metalcore bands as the landscape for music consumption continues its seismic shift. For the first time since the release of their seminal debut album, 2002's Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child, a new Norma Jean album has failed to debut on the Billboard 200 (or even the Top 100, for that matter). The band's latest record, All Hail, sold roughly 3,900 copies (pure album sales) in its first week of release in the United States, not enough (even including streaming activity) to crack the chart. Starting with their sophomore album, O' God, the Aftermath (2005), each of the last six Norma Jean LPs has debuted in the Top 75, rendering their current absence somewhat conspicuous. All Hail did, however, land at No. 30 on the Top Album Sales chart, No. 29 on the Top Current Albums chart, No. 6 on the Hard Rock Album Sales chart, and No. 12 on the Independent Albums chart, proving that despite their Billboard 200 woes, Norma Jean are far from irrelevant. To date, Norma Jean's most successful chart debut remains 2008's The Anti Mother, which bowed at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 16,000. Meanwhile, the band's biggest first week from a sales standpoint came with their third album, Redeemer (2006), which sold 21,000 copies in its initial week and debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard 200. (Obviously, sales numbers don't always parallel chart results). Norma Jean's previous album, 2016's Polar Similar, landed at No. 75 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of 7,800 in first-week sales. That record debuted at No. 29 on the Top Album Sales chart, No. 29 on the Top Current Albums chart, No. 3 on the Hard Rock Album Sales chart, and No. 11 on the Independent Albums chart, essentially the same secondary chart results as their new album.