Ghost Hits No. 1 For The First Time As The Band’s New Album Dominates

Swedish heavy metal band Ghost dominates charts all around the world this week with its new album Skeleta, which has proved to be especially successful in the United Kingdom. The group has been steadily growing its fanbase in that country for years, and the full-length appears on seven different charts this frame, leading about half of them as it arrives.

Ghost’s First No. 1 Album

While Ghost has previously reached the top spot on most of these rosters at least once, the rock outfit collects its first champion on one particular list with Skeleta. The set opens at No. 1 on the Official Vinyl Albums chart, officially becoming the bestselling vinyl title in the country. It marks the first time that Ghost has reached the summit on this format-specific ranking, although the group has come close before.

Two prior efforts — Impera and Rite Here Rite Now, the official soundtrack from a film of the same name — both stalled in the runner-up rung. Earlier titles Prequelle and Phantomime lifted the band as high as No. 3.

More No. 1s for Ghost

Skeleta also debuts in first place on two other rosters this week in the U.K.: the Official Album Downloads list and the Official Rock & Metal Albums chart. The group has now collected a pair of winners on the downloads-only tally, and Skeleta marks the Swedish rockers’ fourth leader on the genre-specific ranking.

Skeleta Misses No. 1 on Three Charts (By One Space)

Impressively, Skeleta only misses out on hitting No. 1 on three other U.K. lists by a single space. The set opens at No. 2 on both the Official Albums chart — which ranks the most consumed projects in the country — and the Official Albums Sales roster, which focuses only on pure purchases of every kind.

Last week, Skeleta barely made a dent on the Official Physical Albums chart thanks to some very early sales from eager fans. In its second turn on the tally, it jumps to second place. Had all purchases been counted together from the start, it’s possible the band would have soared all the way to the summit.

Ghost’s Skeleta Opens Inside the Top 40

Ghost only misses the top 10 on one of the seven U.K. rankings where Skeleta debuts. The project opens at No. 29 on the Official Albums Streaming chart. It’s clear that fans of the metal outfit wanted to own the project and support the band in that tangible way, rather than streaming the latest from the superstars on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.