Metallica's 1991 album Metallica, commonly called The Black Album, debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.
This was a milestone for the band: Metallica was its first album to top the album chart. It sold 598,000 copies in its first week and remained at the summit for four consecutive weeks.
The achievement was part of a broader international success. The album also reached number one in several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. Its chart performance helped establish Metallica as a global mainstream rock act rather than only a leading thrash-metal band.
A common mix-up is confusing the album's debut position with later chart statistics. Its long-term US performance was even more remarkable: the album became one of the longest-charting and best-selling releases of the Nielsen SoundScan era. Its original chart debut, however, was specifically number one.