Metallica’s ‘Black Album’ Certified 20X Platinum By RIAA

Metallica are in rarified air when it comes to album sales. According to a release from the iconic metal group’s publicist, the band’s self-titled fifth album, commonly referred to as The Black Album, has been certified 20x platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than 20 million copies.

The 1991 LP that earned Metallica their first No. 1 album in the U.S. — where it topped the Billboard 200 album chart for four weeks — features such beloved, bombastic singles as “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam” and “Sad But True.” In addition to blowing the band up into stadium headliners and garnering some of their best-ever career notices from the press, the release noted that the Black Album “remains unchallenged as the best-selling album of the Luminate era, outselling every release in every genre over the past 30+ years.”

It also catapults the group into the rarified air of acts who’ve release an album that has gotten 20x platinum RIAA certification, joining such universally loved LPs as Shania Twain’s Come On Over and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors in the double-diamond club, whose other 20-plus members include Garth Brooks (Double Live), AC/DC (Back in Black), Pink Floyd (The Wall), Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin IV) and Billy Joel (Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2), among others.

In addition, the release added that Metallica’s 1986 breakthrough third album, Master of Puppets, has reached 8x platinum status on sales of more than eight million copies. The final LP to feature late bassist Cliff Burton, peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 album chart and is considered to be one of the most influential metal releases of all time.

Metallica is in the third year of their M72 world tour, which is slated to hit Northwest Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night (May 28). The band is also prepping the June 13 release of a deluxe box set of their 1996 Load album, which will feature 245 unreleased tracks.