Metallica’s 1991 self-titled album has become the fourth studio release ever to reach a historic chart record.
The album, affectionately known as The Black Album, has officially spent a total of 750 weeks on the Billboard 200. It’s the fourth record in history to spend that amount of time on the chart, following Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), the Bob Marley and The Wailers compilation album Legend (1984) and Journey’s Greatest Hits (1988).
Therefore, The Black Album is the youngest album to reach the chart milestone — and is the second studio album to do so, as the Bob Marley and Journey albums are both compilations.
To put the amount of time it’s spent on the chart into perspective, 750 weeks comes out to about 14.38 years. The album originally peaked at No. 1 on Aug. 31, 1991, and it currently sits at No. 178 on the Billboard 200 nearly 33 years later.
Metallica was the legends’ breakthrough into the mainstream, though they were already favorites amongst the thrash metal community for years before that. It sold 598,000 copies in its first week, and spent a total of four weeks straight on top of the chart.
Since then, it’s sold over 30 million copies worldwide, 17 million of which were in the U.S. alone.
After it became their first No. 1 album, Load (1996), Reload (1997), St. Anger (2003), Death Magnetic (2008) and Hardwired… To Self-Destruct (2016) all topped the chart as well.
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Their latest record, 2023’s 72 Seasons, peaked at No. 2.
Some of the other longest-charting Billboard 200 albums include Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Chronicle (1976) greatest hits compilation, Nirvana’s Nevermind (1991), Guns N’ Roses’ Greatest Hits (2004), AC/DC’s Back in Black (1980) and Queen’s Greatest Hits (1981).
Congrats to Metallica!
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Gallery Credit: Todd Fooks
