Disturbed leads this week's album chart...but get ready for Lil Wayne

The dudes in Disturbed surely meant their new album title, Indestructible, to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. And so far, so prophetic: It’s the band’s third album in a row to debut at No. 1. And the new one’s opening sales of 253,000 even beat the 239,000 first-week sales of the band’s previous album in 2005. Maybe these lovable metal heads should change their name to…Delighted! No?

The runner-up on this week’s Billboard/Soundscan chart is the NOW 28 compilation, which sold 185,000. In third place was last week’s chart topper, the latest from Usher, which suffered a sales decline of 67 percent to sell 145,000 copies. Weezer’s self-titled effort, powered by a lot of “Pork and Beans,” came in at No. 4 with 126,000 in sales. The week’s most surprisingly robust entry has to be Journey, in at No. 5 with 105,000. Their Revelation is a Wal-Mart exclusive; a bargain-basement cost of $12 for a three-disc set (two CDs and a DVD) proved too good a price point for superstore shoppers to pass up.

Ashanti’s Declaration came in at No. 6 with 86,000 units. We’d have to declare that something of a comedown for a singer who was able to debut on top with a half-million copies six years ago. Jewel’s transition into the country market, Perfectly Clear, bowed at No. 8 with 48,000. Other first-weekers included Opeth at No. 23, a Radiohead best-of at No. 26, and Gavin Rossdale’s solo debut at No. 32.

On the digital-songs chart, Coldplay solidified their hold on the top spot with “Viva la Vida,” the title track from their imminent album. It sold 253,000, a 15 percent increase over last week. In second place, Katy Perry’s still-rising — and risible — “I Kissed a Girl” was up 17 percent with 202,000 downloads, pushing Lil Wayne’s smash “Lollipop” down to No. 3. Idol fever seems to be wearing off a little, as David Cook’s “Time of My Life” fell six spots to No. 10, hit by a 51 percent sales decline.

But next week, it’ll be all about Lil Wayne. As previously reported on EW.com, his Tha Carter III album is expected to sell in the neighborhood of 850,000 to 950,000 units by the end of the week. In case you think it’ll have trouble hitting that mark, do be aware that Soundscan released a first-day total for the album, and it sold 423,000 just on Tuesday. That’s pretty close to what the last blockbuster seller, Kanye West’s Graduation, sold on its first day last year, before ending the week with 957,000. Could Lil Wayne even claim the first album to surpass the million mark in a week since 50 Cent’s The Massacre in 2005? Hold onto your lollipops.