Metallica's The Black Album was the band's first album to top which US chart?

Metallica's The Black Album was the band's first album to top the Billboard 200.

It debuted at number one in the United States after selling 598,000 copies in its first week. The album then spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the chart, establishing a commercial benchmark the band's earlier studio albums had not reached.

The Billboard 200 ranks albums and extended plays in the United States, unlike the Billboard Hot 100, which ranks individual songs. This distinction matters because Metallica's achievement concerned the album itself, not the chart position of “Enter Sandman” or another single.

The album also debuted at number one in nine other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. Its chart performance helped turn Metallica from a major metal act into a global mainstream rock band.