Metallica’s self-titled album first reached number one on the US Billboard 200.
The chart-topping result was a major milestone for the band: it was Metallica’s first album to top the Billboard 200. The record sold 598,000 copies in its first US week according to the album’s documented chart history, then remained at number one for four consecutive weeks.
The success reflected both the strength of the songs and the album’s wider appeal. Tracks such as “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True” were promoted as singles and became enduring parts of Metallica’s catalog.
The album is often called The Black Album because of its dark cover design, but Metallica is its official title. It was also the band’s fifth studio album and the first to achieve this level of mainstream chart dominance.