New Metallica album headed toward No. 1

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

Comments

[Ashley]

Wow, man! I love Metallica to death and I heard Death Magnetic. I'm completely happy. I'm also glad to hear that they made another Unforgiven. Unforgiven 3! :) They are my idols.

[Ann Powers]

Do these numbers include the downloads for the Guitar Hero game? How many, if so, are from that?

your pal akp

[IIell]

cool...i'll go download it tonight.

...Buy? What?

[Tom]

This is Metallica's best album EVER!!! Listen to "All Nightmare Long" (LOUDLY) and tell me that these guys aren't masters! Not a bad song on the entire cd...even the 10 minute instrumental is fun to listen to (LOUDLY).

Way to go, guys!

[danh]

do the world's ears a favor and get all of these fans to listen to live cream 1. metallica is sonic and lyrical garbage. it is profound that they are viewed as accomplished musicians by their fans. .