Wasteland is the first rock album to lead the Billboard 200 in more than three months, since Mumford & Sons’ Delta debuted at No. 1 on the Dec. 1, 2018-dated chart.

 

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new March 16-dated chart -- where Wasteland launches at No. 1 -- will be posted in full on Billboard's websites later today - March 12.

 

Wasteland follows Hozier’s 2018 EP Nina Cried Power, which topped out at No. 60. Before that, the singer-songwriter’s self-titled debut full-length set bowed and peaked at No. 2 on the Oct. 25, 2014-dated list. The album was led by the smash single 'Take Me to Church,' which climbed to No. 1 on the Hot Rock Songs tally the week after the album arrived on the charts. 'Church' spent 23 weeks atop the list, and also hit No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

 

The Hozier album has spent 174 weeks on the Billboard 200 (including its re-entry on the new March 16-dated list at No. 175) and has earned 2.6 million equivalent album units in the U.S., with 972,000 of that sum in album sales.

 

Wasteland’s debut week of 89,000 units is the largest for any rock album since Mumford & Sons’ Delta started with 230,000 units (chart dated Dec. 1, 2018). Wasteland also snares the largest sales week for a rock album since Delta, with 75,000 copies sold (Delta sold 214,000 in its debut frame).

 

Wasteland’s opening sum was aided by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with Hozier’s U.S. tour, which begins tonight (March 10).