Metallica's 10th studio album, Hardwired...To Self Destruct, debuted at No. 1 around the world today selling over 800,000 albums worldwide. In addition to the United States, Hardwired...To Self Destruct is No. 1 on the album charts in: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, and Sweden with many of these markets having their best sales week of 2016. A complete list of the 20+ countries where the album debuted at No. 1 will be available midweek when the respective charts are published.
In the United States, Hardwired...To Self Destruct debuted atop the Billboard Top 200 chart with over 291,266 equivalent album units and 281,645 actual album sales, and is the band's 6th consecutive No. 1 album in the United States. It is the largest debut for a rock band in 2016, and according to Hits Magazine, this is the third biggest debut of 2016 behind Beyoncé and Drake. It is currently the "Most Wished For" album on Amazon.com.
Hardwired...To Self Destruct was released on November 18 on Metallica's own Blackened Recordings record label. It was produced by Greg Fidelman with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, and is available in various configurations including: CD, Vinyl, Digital, Deluxe, and Deluxe Deluxe Versions available at www.metallica.com. By industry standards the standard 2-CD set would be considered a deluxe package. However, the band also released a special deluxe edition of the album featuring 3 CDs of Metallica music, and fans came out in droves over the past week to purchase the set, amounting to 80-90% of Hardwired...To Self-Destruct's first week global sales - a true testament to the extraordinary relationship Metallica has with its fans.
Praise for Hardwired...To Self-Destruct includes The New York Times: "Metallica has embraced its adulthood, reclaiming the attack of its music while jettisoning the image of a hard-rock band as young, fast and out of control", Rolling Stone: "Metallica's 'Hardwired' shreds back to vintage eighties terror", Decibel: "Metallica balances legacy, longevity, and longitude with Hardwired...To Self-Destruct", Kerrang!: "This is Metallica galvanized, refreshed, refocused and rediscovering themselves. Best thing they've done since The Black album? Yep", The Guardian: "Metallica have just made their finest record in 25 years," NME: "Metallica remain both vital and innovative," San Jose Mercury News: "Metallica has once again delivered an album that echoes and underscores the mood of millions," and much more.
In an unprecedented move forMetallica, on November 16, the band released music videos for each song on Hardwired...To Self Destruct via www.metallica.com and simultaneously with editorial partners around the world every two hours. New songs and their corresponding videos premiered right up to when the clock turned over at midnight in New Zealand, where the first official copy of the new album became available worldwide. To watch the music videos, visit www.metallica.com.
Additionally, almost 100 independent record stores around the world stayed open throughout the night on and into the morning selling Hardwired...To Self-Destruct LPs and CDs as part of November 18's Blackened Friday. Stores were stocked with music, prizes, and exclusive items were given away free with purchase.
Metallica also recently joined Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for a rendition of the band's song "Enter Sandman" as part of the popular segment 'Classroom Instruments' on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The video has racked up nearly 100 Million views on Facebook and 10 Million views on YouTube. Watch the clip HERE.
