[photogallerylink id=4850 align=left]According to Gibson.com, [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Nickelback[/lastfm] had the best selling hard rock album in 2010. The best part was that it wasn’t even released last year.

They released their latest album, Dark Horse, back in November 2008. Despite being released over two years ago, the album still took the top spot on the list of best selling hard rock and metal albums in 2010. The list was compiled by Nielsen SoundScan.

Other albums that landed in the top ten were [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Them Crooked Vultures[/lastfm]‘ self-titled debut and [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Shinedown[/lastfm]‘s The Sound of Madness. Along with newer bands such as [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Breaking Benjamin[/lastfm] making the list, older acts like [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]AC/DC[/lastfm] and [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Jimi Hendrix[/lastfm] made the top ten as well.

Top ten best-selling hard rock and metal albums of 2010:

1. Nickelback, Dark Horse

2. Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns

3. AC/DC, Iron Man 2

4. Godsmack, The Oracle

5. Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare

6. Disturbed, Asylum

7. Breaking Benjamin, Dear Agony

8. Shinedown, The Sound of Madness

9. Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures

10. Jimi Hendrix, Valleys of Neptune

In other news, last night’s People’s Choice Awards included a special feature on the Chad Kroeger “Blackwater” Les Paul. The guitar was built by Gibson and designed in a collaborative effort with Kroeger. “Blackwater” received its name from a fan as part of a special People’s Choice competition this past summer.