Avenged Sevenfold have scored their first UK number one album with Hail to the King.
The US heavy metal band have knocked Britain’s Got Talent duo Richard and Adam off the top spot after a four week run with their debut The Impossible Dream.
Alexander Milas, editor-in-chief of British music magazine Metal Hammer, said: “This is a tremendous achievement, and it’s been a long time coming.
“We’ve watched Avenged Sevenfold’s dogged ascent for years, and their tireless efforts have created the kind of fan base that money and clever marketing just can’t buy.”
He added: “This isn’t just a hugely well-deserved triumph for the band though; in an age of market-driven A&R, it’s proof positive that rock and metal is here to stay. A long-ignored segment of the record-buying public has spoken. Avenged Sevenfold’s victory is a victory for us all.”
Naughty Boy’s debut LP Hotel Cabana enters the chart at two, with Ellie Goulding’s Halcyon Days re-release at number three.
Richard and Adam fall three places to four after their album set a 2013 chart record last week. They surpassed Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience for the number of weeks at number one.
Bob Dylan’s reflective release Another Self Portrait – 1969-1971 enters at number five.
Other new entries on this week’s album chart are Franz Ferdinand’s Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action at six and Newton Faulkner’s Studio Zoo at ten.
Source: Official Charts Company