Metallica’s Self Titled Album Returns To Billboard’s Top 10 After Nearly Three Decades

photo credit: Mauricio Alvarado

Metallica’s landmark 1991 self-titled fifth LP, better known as “The Black Album,” has returned to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart for the first time in 29 years. The album’s re-placement on the Top 10 has been due to the marketing surrounding its 30th anniversary reissue.

The album has actually stayed pretty consistently among the top 200 albums according to Billboard, have a streak record of 625 weeks on the list due to its could thousand copies sold each week over the course of almost 30 years and ranks as the top-selling album ever in the SoundScan era with 17.3 million copies sold in the US alone.

The album has now jumped to the No. 9 spot on the Billboard list thanks to the variety of 30th anniversary formats that are being released, including a super-deluxe box set and remastered vinyl, among other physical copy versions available. “The Black Album” racked up 37,000 equivalent album units for the week ending September 16th, with 29,000 coming in pure album sales.

You still have the ability to purchase the 30th anniversary reissue of “The Black Album” via metallica.com.

The band has also curated a new covers compilation called The Metallica Blacklist, featuring over 50 versions of the 12 songs on “The Black Album” by various artists such as Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Corey Taylor, Ghost, and many more.

Photo Credit Marv Watson

Michelle Leidecker: Michelle Leidecker is a student writer based in New York City studying at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU. Growing up, she was a classically trained cellist, but pivoted into more modern music spheres, playing in a band and taking up music marketing. Always having a passion for writing and for music, she enjoys writing and reading about music whether it be for school or publications such as mxdwn. She hopes to continue on her path of writing and marketing within the music industry and being surrounded by music in her daily life. When she's not writing, you can find her trying new restaurants, travelling, and on her multiple social media accounts.
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