Metallica’s 1991 album, The Black Album, spent four consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200.
The Billboard 200 ranks albums and extended plays in the United States. Metallica debuted at the top of that chart, making it the band’s first album to reach number one there. Its first-week sales were reported at 598,000 copies.
The achievement was especially significant because Metallica had built its reputation through heavy touring and albums associated with thrash metal rather than mainstream pop success. The Black Album’s more direct songwriting and polished production broadened the band’s audience without abandoning its heavy sound.
The Billboard Hot 100 is a different chart for individual songs. “Enter Sandman,” the album’s lead single, reached number 16 on that singles chart, but the album’s number-one achievement belongs to the Billboard 200.