Sales: Godsmack, MercyMe, Deftones Debut High

So neither the New Pornographers nor the Hold Steady cracked the top ten of the Billboard 200, but those earnest rockers shouldn’t feel too bad; it was a tough week with the fierce battle over the souls of American album buyers between a multiplatinum metal band and a contemporary Christian band. (The Devil won.)

1. Godsmack – “Oracle” – 117,000 (debut)

2. Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now” – 97,000 (up 28%; 2 million cume)

3. MercyMe – “The Generous Mr. Lovewell” – 88,000 (debut)

4. Carole King and James Taylor – “Live at the Troubadour” – 78,000 (debut)

5. Justin Bieber – “My World 2.0″ – 64,000 (down 7%)

6. Deftones – “Diamond Eyes” – 62,000 (debut)

7. Court Yard Hounds – “Court Yard Hounds” – 61,000 (debut)

8. AC/DC – “Iron Man 2″ – 55,000 (up 5%)

9. Toni Braxton – “Pulse” – 54,000 (debut)

10. Usher – “Raymond v Raymond” – 51,000 (up 7%)

Further down:

12. B.o.B – “The Adventures of Bobby Ray” – 36,000 (down 57%)

14. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – “Uni5: The World’s Enemy” – 29,000 (debut)

15. Michael Buble – “Crazy Love” – 29,000 (up 98%)

18. New Pornographers – “Together” – 25,000 (debut)

26. Hold Steady – “Heaven Is Whenever” – 23,000 (debut)

Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending May 9) totaled 6.07 million units.

MTV