Metallica's The Black Album reached number one on the US Billboard 200.
It was Metallica’s first album to top the Billboard album chart, a major milestone for a band that had previously built its audience through heavy metal touring and increasingly successful albums. The record stayed at number one for four consecutive weeks.
The album also debuted at number one in nine other countries, giving it an unusually broad international impact. Its chart success helped move Metallica from a leading thrash-metal act into one of the world’s largest rock bands.
The chart result is separate from sales certifications. In the United States, the album eventually became one of the most successful releases of the Nielsen SoundScan era, while its worldwide sales surpassed 30 million copies according to the album’s documented figures.