For the first time in 32 years, a new Metallica album didn’t debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Videos by American Songwriter
Released on April 14, Metallica’s 11th album, 72 Seasons, fell one slot behind Morgan Wallen’s third album One Thing at a Time, which has remained at the top of the chart since its release on March 3.
This marks Metallica’s first album, since their 1991 self-titled album, to not hit No. 1.
Throughout the past decade, Wallen and Taylor Swift are the only two artists, according to Billboard, to have multiple albums spend a minimum of seven weeks in the top spot. This is Wallen’s second to reach this space since his 2021 release Dangerous: The Double Album.
Though 72 Seasons didn’t hit No. 1 like the band’s previous albums, it marked the biggest release week for a rock band in nearly four years, helped by the seven-plus minute title track and other singles, including “If Darkness Had a Son,” “Lux Æterna,” and “Screaming Suicide.”
Produced by Metallica’s James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, along with Greg Fidelman, 72 Seasons runs more than 77 minutes over 12 songs, and is Metallica’s first new music since their 2016 album Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.
In support of 72 Seasons, Metallica is set to kick off its M72 world tour with select dates in Europe and stadiums within the U.S. throughout the remainder of 2023. The tour will begin on April 27, 2023, and run through Sept. 29, 2024, with Metallica playing two nights in every city with supporting artists, including Five Finger Death Punch, Mammoth WVH, Greta Van Fleet, and more.
The band is also set to co-headline the forthcoming Power Trip three-day concert, also featuring AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, and more before going back on the road in 2024 with more dates in Europe, Mexico, and the U.S.
Earlier in 2023, Metallica also purchased a vinyl pressing plant in Alexandria, Virginia, and recently launched a competition for high school and college marching bands, who can win more than $150,000 in prizes for their cover of a Metallica song.
Wallen is currently on tour supporting One Thing at a Time, but recently had to cancel several shows after being put on vocal rest.
Photo: Morgan Wallen (Toni Anne Barson/FilmMagic); Metallica (Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for P+ and MTV)
