Released on July 14, it debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 31, selling more than 16,500 copies in its first week.
"We were hoping it would sell at least 10,000 copies," Moore said during a phone call from the band's stop in Boise. "It went beyond what we were expecting. And that gave us a little kick."
Moore, bassist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin are on tour with fellow Aussie band Shinedown and are looking forward to playing in Salt Lake City.
"It's a good tour to be on," he said. "We're all getting along and having good shows."
Moore said the band wasn't exactly prepared when it went into the studio to follow up its last CD, "Dressed up as Life."
"We had nothing," he said with a laugh. "We spent about four months writing songs every day and we came up with 16. Out of those, 11 wound up on the album. And we had some B-sides. And that's how the album came out."
Moore said writing on the fly is one of the reasons why he wanted to be in a band.
"I always wanted to do something creative," he said. "I was inspired by the band Siverchair. They were our age and from Australia, and I liked them. They showed me that anyone can write and play music."
The creative aspect of the job is satisfying, he said, but there are some drawbacks.
"Life is a challenge to begin with, but to choose to go on tour and play the songs every night is wearing," Moore said. "You find out a lot about yourself in high-stress situations. And you get to the point when you react badly and continue to react badly that you feel you need to change yourself.
"Still, having the chance to be creative for a living is nothing to complain about. But once the CD is done, the creativity is put on hold for a bit while you go on tour."
The remedy for monotony, however, is the fans.
"You think about the people who come to the shows and know they have waited two months or more to see you play and they are totally into the moment makes you want to give it your all," said Moore.
Fans can get a glimpse of what happens behind scenes with the Sick Puppies in the movie "Rock Prophecies." The documentary film, directed by John Chester, is about photographer Robert M. Knight and his mission to find the world's best new guitar player. Knight took a liking to the Sick Puppies, said Moore.
"He asked us if we wanted to be in the movie, and we said yes," said Moore. "And the next day, the camera crews came."
More information about "Rock Prophecies" can be found at http://www.rockprophecies.com.
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