On this day (April 29) in 2023, Metallica’s 11th studio album, 72 Seasons, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. It would be the first time since 1988 that one of their albums didn’t reach the top of the chart. Their streak ended because an album from country artist Morgan Wallen was amid a historic run at the top of the chart.
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Metallica is one of the biggest metal bands on the planet. They were one of a handful of bands that put thrash metal on the map in the early 1980s and have packed stadiums around the world for more than 40 years. Wallen is one of the most successful artists in modern country music. He has set and broken chart records with his songs and albums, spending months atop the charts. One wouldn’t think the two would cross paths. However, breaking Metallica’s 32-year hot streak is among his many accolades.
[RELATED: Morgan Wallen Knocked Off the Top of the Charts By… Morgan Wallen]
How Morgan Wallen Ended Metallica’s Streak
Starting with their 1991 self-titled album–widely referred to as The Black Album–all of Metallica’s studio albums have debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. Metallica, Load, Reload, St. Anger, Death Magnetic, and Hardwired…To Self-Destruct debuted at No. 1. Then, they released 72 Seasons on April 14, 2023. It debuted on the Billboard 200 on April 29 at No. 2.
Morgan Wallen released One Thing at a Time on March 3, 2023. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on March 18. It would go on to spend 19 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the chart. He beat Garth Brooks’ record for most weeks atop the all-genre chart for a country artist. The album was even more successful on the Top Country Albums chart, where it spent a total of 84 weeks at No. 1.
When Metallica’s 72 Seasons debuted on the chart, Wallen’s album was in its seventh week at No. 1.
Featured Image by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock
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