Jeezy has earned his third number one album and topped this week’s Billboard charts. Avenged Sevenfold’s surprise album debuted at number four.
Avenged Sevenfold’s surprise release, The Stage, takes a bow at No. 4 with 76,000 units (and 72,000 in traditional album sales). The set arrived without warning on Oct. 28, well ahead of its previously announced release date of Dec. 9. Frontman M. Shadows said the band opted for a surprise release because it’s more exciting than the traditional roll out of an album and gets its music out to an audience “without any preconceived notions.”