According to METALLICA's official web site, the band's new album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", is currently No. 1 in a staggering 57 countries, Top 3 in 75 countries and Top 5 in 105 countries. METALLICA says: "Wow… what an insane awesome ride it's been. We are stunned, beyond grateful and truly appreciative that not only have METALLICA fans embraced 'Hardwired… To Self-Destruct' beyond our wildest expectations, but more importantly, we're proud to see that hard rock and metal is still viable and matters in 2016… TO SO MANY PEOPLE! The support, excitement, and love from all corners of the planet means so much to us and we are sincerely blown away by the response. "The story has just begun and there is so much more to come, but we want to thank you for making this such a special time in METALLICA history. We look forward to seeing you out on the road as we're just getting started here." According to music industry web site Hits Daily Double, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" is likely to sell between 250,000 and 270,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The SPS figure is expected to be between 260,000 and 280,000. SPS, a practice used by Billboard magazine, stands for "sales plus streaming," which includes album sales and converted track sales plus converted streaming data. For those interested: 10 tracks sold equal one album sale (since $1.29, the cost for an individual track, multiplied by ten gives you $12.99, a common price for an album, and 1,500 streams is equivalent to one album sale. METALLICA's "Death Magnetic" album sold close to a half million copies in just a three-day sales window and topped The Billboard 200 chart back in September 2008. The band's first studio album since 2003 moved 490,000 copies in its abbreviated frame, scheduled off-cycle on a Friday to accommodate a worldwide release date. METALLICA's previous CD, "St. Anger", also had an unusual release date after Elektra Records decided to move up its release to Thursday, June 5, 2003 from Tuesday, June 10, 2003 "to ensure that counterfeit copies of the band's first studio album in six years do not proliferate in the marketplace," the label said at the time. "St. Anger" sold 418,000 copies in its first, shortened week on the streets to land at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. METALLICA's "Re-Load" album sold 435,000 units during its first week in 1997, while 1996's "Load" opened at 680,000. 1991's self-titled "black album" debuted with 598,000 and has since gone on to sell more than 16 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" arrived on November 18. It consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.
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