Metallica’s The Black Album gave the band its first number-one album on the Billboard 200. The chart ranks the most popular albums in the United States and is distinct from the Billboard Hot 100, which ranks singles.
The album reached the summit immediately after its August 12, 1991 release and stayed there for four consecutive weeks. This achievement marked a major commercial breakthrough for a heavy-metal band whose previous releases had built influence gradually through touring and word of mouth.
The record also topped album charts in several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. However, the Billboard 200 is the specific US chart associated with the band’s first number-one album.
Later Metallica albums, including Load, Reload, St. Anger, Death Magnetic, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, and 72 Seasons, also debuted at number one in the United States. The Black Album began that particularly strong run on the Billboard album chart.