Black Country Communion 2

Black Country Communion 2 debuted at number 71 on the US Billboard 200, selling over 8,000 copies in its first week.[20] It also registered at number 6 on the Hard Rock Albums chart,[21] number 10 on the Independent Albums chart,[22] and number 19 on the Top Rock Albums chart.[23] In the UK, the album debuted at number 23 on the UK Albums Chart,[24] number 18 on the Scottish Albums Chart,[25] number 1 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart,[26] and number 6 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.[27] It also reached number 15 in Germany and Switzerland,[28][29] number 17 in Austria,[30] number 20 in Denmark,[31] number 24 in Sweden,[32] number 26 in Norway,[33] number 56 in the Netherlands,[34] number 74 in the Flanders region of Belgium,[35] number 84 in the Wallonia region of Belgium,[36] and number 118 in France.[37]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	75/100[38]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[39]
Classic Rock	[40]
Financial Times	[41]
The Independent	Favorable[42]
Kerrang!	[43]
PopMatters	[44]
The Sun	4.5/5[45]
Sunday Mercury	Favorable[46]
The Times	[47]

Media response to Black Country Communion 2 was generally positive; aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalised rating of 75, based on six critical reviews.[38] Reviewing the release for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia claimed that the album "arguably tops its worthy predecessor as a balanced song set", although suggested that it lacks any clear highlights in the vein of "Black Country" or "One Last Soul" from the band's self-titled debut.[39] Similarly, Mick Wall of Classic Rock praised the album's coherent composition and production, describing it as "clearly less of a 'project' than the first BCC disc, and more the real deal".[40] Wall hailed the "depth and artistry" of Black Country Communion 2, which he claimed was most prominent on songs such as "The Outsider", "The Battle for Hadrian's Wall" and "Cold".[40] The Independent columnist Nick Coleman compared the album favourably to the band's debut, which he shunned as "a ghastly glued-together assemblage of clichés and show-off playing".[42] Kerrang! suggested that Black Country Communion 2 "possibly betters [the band's] acclaimed debut".[43] Paul Cole of the Sunday Mercury praised the contributions of each band member in his review, concluding that "This is classic rock goes large, an album that lives up to its heritage. It may not be bettered this year."[46]

Multiple critics compared the album's sound to that of 1970s acts such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Rivadavia claimed that "so many of [the album's] songs show no qualms about getting the "Led" out", but added that "Far from descending into a pale imitation ... however, BCC's offerings rise above and fly true thanks to the unimpeachable pedigree and recognizable musical personalities of all involved".[39] PopMatters writer Jedd Beaudoin concluded his review of the album with the admission that "It's retread music, purely, simply, unapologetically. So what?"[44] British newspaper The Sun proposed that Black Country Communion 2 would "cement BCC's reputation as the natural heirs to Led Zeppelin", and called it "Probably the best rock album you'll hear this year".[45] Coleman of The Independent claimed that the album "feels much more like a group searching for a sound together, even if the sound once belonged in a Venn diagram linking Led Zep, Deep Purple and Dio-era Sabbath".[42] Sunday Mercury writer Cole claimed that the album is "haunted by the spirit of [Led] Zeppelin", adding jokingly to "Close your eyes and it could be 1971 all over again."[46]

Black Country Communion 2 was nominated for the Planet Rock Album of the Year award in 2011. It came third in the poll behind Wasting Light by Foo Fighters and Bonamassa's own Dust Bowl, with the station calling it "a fantastic hard rock record that harks back to a simpler time in rock music when four guys could go into a studio and just play".[48] The band also came fourth in Planet Rock's Best Live Act poll,[49] as well as winning the Classic Rock award for Best Breakthrough Act.[50]