Metallica's Highest-Grossing Albums Of All Time, Ranked
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Metallica is a name synonymous with the hardcore metal genre of music. They have been a constant success since 1983 and this is why they are iconic among the many metal bands in the world. The group comprises of James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Jason Newsted (after Cliff Burton died in 1986) who was then replaced by Robert Trujillo.
The number of albums that Metallica has come out with is many and each of them stands out. Fans will remember their greatest hits from these albums. Here we show you the highest-grossing albums of all time that have made Metallica a legendary band.
Load ($11,490,000)
Load was an album of change that came out after a long gap of five years. The album created history in many ways because Metallica changed their music and style for this album. In terms of style, they cut their long strands and the music had blues and country influences. Many fans were unhappy with the change, but others embraced it.
Songs like “2x4” and “Mama Said” were totally different from the thrash music that Metallica was known for. The album still maintained its No.1 position on the Billboard charts and sold over 5 million copies and has grossed over $11,490,000. Some of the singles from this album include “Hero of the Day” and “Until it Sleeps.”
St. Anger ($5,050,000)
Not one of the more famous albums that Metallica came up with, but still a number one hit and double platinum to boot. St. Anger is an album with a lot of chaos attached to it. Jason Newsted, who was the bassist, left the band during this time. James Hetfield too was out for rehab and this led to the chaos. There was a lot of change in this album with no guitar solo performed. But with some good old music and singles like “Frantic,” the album did well eventually and has grossed over $5,050,000. Now it counts as the top ten highest-grossing Metallica albums of all time.
ReLoad ($8,940,000)
After the release of the Load album, Metallica continued to create more singles that were then combined into the next series. This new album was called "ReLoad" and Metallica preferred to call the two albums a single album. Load did very well in the Billboard charts and made a great deal of money, but ReLoad actually surpassed it a bit more. With singles like "Fuel," "The Unforgiven II," and "The Memory Remains," ReLoad really went on to be at the top of the charts and has grossed $8,940,000. In retrospect, fans realized that it was the last time Jason Newsted appeared with the group.
Death Magnetic ($5,330,000)
With Death Magnetic, Metallica seemed to come back to its roots and stick to thrash metal. Some found the loud music exceeded the standards, but fans clearly loved this and put the album on the top of the charts for a long time. With Death Magnetic, the album became the 5th consecutive recording to be No.1 in the charts and has grossed over $5,330,000. Metallica was the first band to do this with each of their debut albums. Singles like "The Day That Never Comes" and "Cyanide" was much appreciated by their fans. Since these were songs that stuck to the genre of metal, the album made a huge impact.
The Black Album ($30,790,000)
In 1991, Metallica came up with their best-selling album, naming it Metallica – The Black Album. It became No. 1 on the Billboard charts and sold over 30 million copies worldwide. In the US alone it made history when it sold over 16 million copies. Some of the best singles from this album are "Sad But True," "Enter Sandman," "Wherever I May Roam," and "The Unforgiven."
The fantastic thing about this album is that it is still among the top 100 in the Billboard charts, even after 25 years of its release. No wonder The Black Album is such a legendary album from Metallica and has grossed over $30,790,000.
Hardwired…To Self Destruct ($3,140,000)
The year 2016 turned out to be a great year for Metallic, after a lull of nearly eight years. They released their album Hardwired... To Self Destruct, which went on to go platinum on the Billboard charts. Singles from the album include "Moth into Flame," "Hardwired," "Atlas, Rise!" and "Spit Out the Bone.” The album helped to regain Metallica’s legendary power and fans just couldn’t get enough of it. It showed that even with a huge gap in performing, Metallica was here to stay in a grand way. Hardwired... To Self Destruct made its way to the top of the charts easily and has grossed nearly $3,140,000.
And Justice For All ($15,840,000)
Jason Newsted joins Metallica and they came up with the album And Justice for All. The problem some critics felt with the album was that the performance of Jason Newsted was not up to the mark. Lengthy songs added to the criticism. Singles from the album include "To Live is to Die" and "One." Though And Justice for All was nominated in 1989 for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, the Grammy that year actually went to Jethro Tull. Even with all the criticism, the album continued to be on the top of the charts and is one of the highest-grossers for Metallica, making over $15,840,000.
Ride The Lightning ($11,740,000)
Another of the greatest albums that Metallica put out is Ride the Lightning. This album showcased the legendary performances of every member of the band. From perfect lyrics to creative music, Metallica was on top of their game with this album and their fans loved every single one of the performances. Their standout songs from the album are "Fight Fire with Fire," "Creeping Death," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and "The Call of Ktulu." Each of these singles led the album to be the best when it came out at the time. Unknown to all, Ride the Lightning would again be overtaken by their next great album and gross nearly $11,740,000.
Kill "Em All ($8,510,000)
One of the best albums that Metallica is known for to this day is Kill ‘Em All. This cemented their raw talent with feral sound and the fans were all over it. Songs included in the album have ominous titles like "Seek and Destroy," "No Remorse," "Hit the Lights," and "Jump in the Fire." Even though many of the songs were written by Dave Mustaine, he was removed from the band while they were recording this particular album. His replacement, Kirk Hammett only had two weeks before having to perform in shows. Kill ‘Em All turned out to be an iconic album and has gone triple-platinum and has grossed about $8,510,000.
Master Of Puppets ($13,980,000)
Master of Puppets is by far the best and highest-grossing album of Metallica and any other metal band in the world. The album is filled with great songs; youthfulness and the needed aggression for all thrash metal genre albums. The songs in this album include "Damage Inc." "Battery," "Welcome Home," and "Orion." This was also the last album that Cliff Burton would perform in before his demise in 1986. Master of Puppets is almost an homage to the thrash metal genre and Metallica as a band. It stays on top of the charts for 72 weeks and has grossed $13,980,000.
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