Some fresh faces at top of the heap

THE hit parade just took on a bunch of new marchers who went straight to the front of the line: New releases from Evanescence, the Killers and George Strait lead the list of five CDs that debut in the Top 10 of the nation’s pop album chart this week.

For Evanescence, the gothic rock band of Arkansas origins led by charismatic singer Amy Lee, the 447,000 copies sold of “The Open Door” was not only enough to claim the No. 1 spot, it also answered any questions about the group’s relevance with fans after a three-year wait for new music.

At No. 2 is the Killers, the Las Vegas rock band that loves to strike poses. “Sam’s Town,” the follow-up to the group’s 2004 debut album, features the radio hit “When You Were Young” and sold 315,000 copies.

Country veteran Strait’s newest release, “It Just Comes Natural,” sold 232,000 copies to take No. 3, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album’s title could be a career summary for Strait -- the album’s lead single, “Just Give It Away,” is his 53rd No. 1 hit on the Billboard country chart, the most by any act.

“Information,” the new album from Rock alchemist Beck, opens at No. 7 with 99,000 copies sold. That’s far better than it did on the British charts: Officials in Britain ruled that the singer’s experimental extras (each CD comes with a DVD of homemade videos and stickers so fans can create their own cover) made it ineligible for ranking.

Right behind “Information” is “Makings of Me,” R&B; singer Monica’s new album, which sold 93,000 copies. The CD features tracks with Missy Elliott, Jermaine Dupri, Twista and others.

Who’s moving down to make room for the newcomers?

The CD that appears to be in the steepest freefall is “20 Y.O.” from Janet Jackson. It premiered at No. 2 last week, but a 74% plunge in sales left it at No. 9 this week.

geoff.boucher@latimes.com