Metallica (also known informally as The Black Album) is the fifth studio album by thrash metal band Metallica. It was released in 1991 by Elektra Records. It debuted at #1 in the "Billboard" 200, making "Metallica" the band's first album to do so. Currently, "Metallica" has sold over 15 million copies in the United States alone. It is the band's most successful album.