Australian Charts: Northlane 'Obsidian' Debuts At No 1

Local metalcore act Northlane see their sixth and independently issued studio album “Obsidian”, debut at the top of the Australian Album Charts.

“Obsidian” (Believe) becomes the 945th No.1 Album in Australia (1965 to 2022), the 796th for ARIA (1983 to 2022), the 581st set to debut at the top and the fourteenth No.1 Album for 2022, while it’s the first for Northlane’s own label ‘Believe’ and their second No.1 after their third album “Node” spent a week at the top on August 3rd, 2015, while their new album is also the No.1 selling vinyl album this week.

It’s the first time that the word ‘Obsidian’ has appeared in a No.1 title (let alone a chart entry), but it’s not the first mineral or metal (it’s actually an igneous rock) we’ve had at the top in the past, we’ve had several albums with ‘Gold’ in their title, with the last one being “Concrete & Gold” by Foo Fighters (25th of Sept., 2017 for 1 week), plus Prince scored two with ‘Diamonds & Pearls’ in early 1992. This is also the fifth No.1 Album in 2022 by an Australian act after Huskii, Midnight Oil (both in February) then Gang of Youths and The Wiggles (both in March), with this new chart-topping album becoming the 270th No.1 by a Local Australian act (solo male or female, duo or group), plus “Obsidian” for Northlane is also the 415th by a Group (local or overseas) and the sixth this year (Korn and RHCP’s were the two apart from the three local groups mentioned prior).

Two local acts were vying for the No.1 spot this week, as former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns sees his second solo album “FutureNever” enter at No.2, matching the position his debut set “Talk” achieved upon entry on the 1st of June, 2015. The two high entries push down one place apiece “SOUR” (#8 vinyl) for Olivia Rodrigo (NZ #1 for a 15th broken week and Canadian No.1 for a tenth non-consecutive week), Coachello dual performer Harry Styles’ “Fine Line” (#10 vinyl) and “Planet Her” for Doja Cat to No.3, No.4 and No.5 respectively. While Harry also sees his debut self-titled album (#12 vinyl) rebound eight places to land at No.9, with the album notching up only it’s seventh week within the Top 10, somewhere the set hasn’t been since June 26th, 2017.

The only non-mover within the Top 10 is the Ed Sheeran set “= (Equals)” at No.6, after which is a two place drop to No.7 for The Weeknd collection “The Highlights”, while the ‘Encanto’ soundtrack falls three places to land at No.10. The third and final Top 10 debut by a local act is from Melbourne nu-metal act Ocean Grove with their third Top 10 and studio album called “Up in the Air Forever” (#3 vinyl), which lands at No.8, the same position their last album “Flip Phone Fantasy” debuted and peaked at in late March of 2020, while their first studio album was “The Rhapsody Tapes” (HP-5, February 2017), plus they first charted with their second EP called “Black Label” (HP-50, June 2015).

UP:
The debut studio album from 2014 for local act Flight Facilities called “Down to Earth” returns to the chart at No.12 this week thanks to a vinyl reissue, which sees it debut at No.2 on that chart, while Billie Eilish sees both of her album climbing back up, as “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” is back up three to No.15 and “Happier Than Ever” rises one spot to No.19, the only two rising albums within the Top 20 this week.
The only climbing Taylor Swift album this week is “folklore” (#19 vinyl), back up four spots to No.23, after which the next climbing album occurs down at No.40, up eight spots, is the Kendrick Lamar set “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City” (#17 vinyl), while the last rises goes to Adele’s “25” set, back up four places to No.47.

DOWN:
Four albums leave the Top 10 this week, with last week’s No.1 returnee for Dua Lipa and “Future Nostalgia” (HP-1×3, WI10-62a) falling back down twelve places to No.13, followed by 1977’s “Rumours” (HP-1×8, WI10-65a {1977-78 & 2022}) for Fleetwood Mac, which dips four places to No.14 (also #14 vinyl). The Red Hot Chili Peppers latest album “Unlimited Love” (HP-1, WI10-3) falls ten spots to No.18 and this week’s returned U.S. No.1 Album was a vinyl-climber here last week, Tyler, the Creator and “Call Me if You Get Lost” (HP-2, WI10-3, #4 vinyl this week), falling back down eighteen places to No.28.
Collections fall for Eminem (12 to No.17), Maroon 5 (14 to No.21), Elton John (19 to No.29), Cold Chisel (32 to No.38), INXS (35 to No.41) and the Foo Fighters (30 to No.43). Ed’s “÷ (Divide)” set falls seven to No.20, while Taylor drops down with “Red (TsV)” (16 to No.26, newly Gold (●) in sales), “1989” (26 to No.31) and “Lover” (40 to No.44), with both Luke Combs sets sliding back down in “What You See Ain’t Always What You Get” (22 to No.27) and “This One’s for You” (23 to No.32).
Two further drops for The Weeknd see his studio albums decline in “Dawn FM” (24 to No.30) and “After Hours” (29 to No.36), and after three weeks of being stuck at No.25 the Adele set “30” drops down nine places to No.34. Machine Gun Kelly’s recent No.1 set “Mainstream Sellout” falls eight spots to No.39, with two further eight-place declines being for “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” by Bruno Mars and the ‘Sing 2′ soundtrack to No.45 and No.50 respectively.

FURTHER NEW ENTRIES:
* #11 (LP#4) – It’s Almost Dry by Pusha T (Getting Out Our Dreams/Def Jam) is the fourth studio album and now second entry in Australia for the U.S. rapper, after his third album “Daytona” also debuted and peaked at No.11 in early June of 2018. The new album features guest appearances from Kanye West, Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Kid Cudi, Don Toliver, Lil’ Uzi Vert and Labrinth.

* #24 (LP#3) – Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C. (Partisan) (#5 vinyl) is the new No.1 Album in their Irish homeland, plus also in Scotland and England this week, while for here this is their second chart entry after their last album “A Hero’s Death” made it to No.26 in early August of 2020.

* #25 (LP#4) – Fear of the Dawn by Jack White (Third Man Records/Sony) (#7 vinyl) is the fourth solo studio album for the White Stripes member, and it enters that chart three weeks after it’s initial release thanks to it’s physical release last week. This is now his fifth solo entry (four studio and one Compilation), while he also has a fifth album due on July 22nd called “Entering Heaven Alive”.

* #48 (LP#5) – Night Gnomes by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (What Reality?/Virgin) is the fifth album for the Perth psych-rock act and now their third albums chart entry after “And Now for the Whatchamacallit” (LP#3, HP-31, June 2019) and “Shyga! The Sunlight Mound” (LP#4, HP-4, February 2021).

* #49 (LP#20) – Omnium Gatherum by King Gizzard & the Wizard Lizard (KGLW) becomes the 22nd Top 50 entry for the Melbourne psych-rock act, while earlier this year they charted with “Made in Timeland” (LP#19, HP-65, March 14th, 2022), so this new set becomes their first Top 50 appearance since “Butterfly 3000” hit No.2 in mid-June of 2021, while this album was the band’s first release since 2019 where they all played and recorded together in the studio.

HP = Highest Position
LW = Last Week
WI10 – Weeks in Top 10

*ARIA Chart info is based on sales for the week from the 22nd to the 28th of April, 2022.

Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.

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