Which chart did Metallica top with its first-ever number-one album debut?

Metallica topped the Billboard 200 with the band’s first-ever number-one album debut.

The album entered the United States Billboard 200 at number one and sold 598,000 copies in its first week. It remained at the summit for four consecutive weeks, establishing the band as a major mainstream force rather than only a leading thrash-metal act.

The Billboard 200 ranks albums and extended releases in the United States, whereas the Billboard Hot 100 ranks individual songs. That distinction matters because “Enter Sandman,” the album’s lead single, reached number 16 on the Hot 100 rather than topping that singles chart.

Metallica also reached number one in several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. Its American chart performance remains one of the album’s defining commercial milestones.