Which Metallica album was the first to reach number one on the Billboard 200?

Metallica, commonly called the Black Album, was the first Metallica album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.

Released on August 12, 1991, the self-titled record represented a major commercial breakthrough for the band. It debuted at number one after selling 598,000 copies in its first week and remained at the top of the Billboard 200 for four consecutive weeks.

The album was Metallica's fifth studio release and became their best-selling record. Its accessible but still heavy production helped bring songs such as “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True” to a much wider audience.

The main source of confusion is that later albums also debuted at number one, including Load, Reload, St. Anger, Death Magnetic, and Hardwired... to Self-Destruct. However, none of those came before Metallica's 1991 breakthrough. The nickname “Black Album” refers to its mostly black cover, not its official title.