Metallica's 1991 album Metallica spent four consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200.
The album debuted at number one in the United States, giving Metallica its first album to reach the summit of the main US albums chart. It sold approximately 598,000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum within two weeks.
The chart achievement reflected more than an opening-week spike. The album remained at number one for four straight weeks while its singles expanded the band's audience. “Enter Sandman” led the campaign, followed by songs such as “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” and “Wherever I May Roam.”
A frequent mix-up is confusing the album's four-week run with its much longer presence on the chart. Metallica continued appearing on the Billboard 200 for years and became one of the most enduringly successful albums of the Nielsen SoundScan era. The four-week figure specifically describes its uninterrupted run at number one after release.