Metallica's self-titled 1991 album first appeared at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200.
This was Metallica's first album to top the chart. It sold 598,000 copies in its first week in the United States, an extraordinary result for a heavy-metal band making a stylistic shift toward a slower and more polished sound.
The album remained at the top of the Billboard 200 for four consecutive weeks. It also debuted at number one in several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand.
The achievement is sometimes mixed up with the chart positions of Metallica's earlier records. ...And Justice for All peaked at number six in the United States, while Metallica became the band's first American number-one album.