Metallica’s The Black Album topped the album charts in ten countries when it was released.
Its international success reflected a dramatic expansion of Metallica’s audience in 1991. The album reached number one in the United States and also topped charts in countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The achievement was especially notable because the band had emerged from the underground thrash-metal scene. The Black Album retained heavy riffs while using more direct song structures and a cleaner, larger production sound.
The figure refers to countries where the album reached the top position on national album charts, not the number of countries where it was certified platinum or where individual singles charted. It is also separate from the album’s four-week run at number one on the US Billboard 200.