Metallica’s ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’ Hits No. 2 on ‘Billboard’ Chart
When Metallica's Hardwired... To Self-Destruct debuted, fans who had been waiting eight years for a new album helped send it straight to the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Now, the thrash legends have almost managed to repeat the impressive feat as the record has breached the Top 10, ascending to No. 2 last week.
With 65,000 units moved over the last week (63,000 of them physical sales), Hardwired... To Self-Destruct was bested only by rapper XXXTentacion's sophomore album, ?, which moved 131,000 units, though that number was primarily driven by streams as only 20,000 of those copies were physical, per Billboard.
In late February, Metallica announced the second North American leg of their 'WorldWired' tour and ticket sales helped to pad the No. 2 chart position. Ticket purchases included an album redemption offer where fans had the choice of receiving a copy of the album, which then was attributed to part of the 65,000 unit tally.
Metallica will not be playing any lengthy stretches of shows, dotting their calendars with select North American appearances between September 02 and March 13 of next year. Presumably, this is due to the band's ability to only commit to around 50 shows a year as James Hetfield has stressed the physical toll touring can take. See the full list of dates here.
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