Which U.S. album chart did Metallica's The Black Album top?

Metallica's The Black Album topped the Billboard 200.

The Billboard 200 ranks albums and extended plays in the United States, unlike the Billboard Hot 100, which ranks individual songs. Metallica's self-titled fifth album became the band's first release to reach number one on the album chart.

The record debuted at number one and remained there for four consecutive weeks. It sold 598,000 copies in its first week according to the album's documented sales history, a major result for a heavy-metal group making a stylistic move toward broader accessibility.

The chart success reflected more than one hit single. The album also produced “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.” Its long chart life and continuing sales eventually made it the best-selling album of the Nielsen SoundScan era in the United States, before later certifications and sales milestones pushed its total even higher.