Metallica’s 1991 self-titled album sold 598,000 copies in the United States during its first week.
That opening placed the album at number one on the Billboard 200 and made it Metallica’s first album to top the U.S. chart. The release’s strong debut was especially notable because the band had previously been identified primarily with the underground and specialist heavy-metal audience.
The album continued to perform strongly after its opening week. It remained at number one for four consecutive weeks and eventually became one of the best-selling albums in U.S. recording history. Its success was supported by singles including “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” and “Nothing Else Matters.”
This figure refers to first-week U.S. sales, not worldwide sales, shipments, or the album’s lifetime total. Those different measurements are often mixed together when discussing The Black Album’s enormous commercial impact.