Metallica Earn 12th Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1 With ’72 Seasons’

Metallica‘s “72 Seasons” has risen to the top spot on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart dated July 1, earning the band their 12th No. 1 on the chart.

Metallica now ties with Foo Fighters and Godsmack for the fifth-most leaders in the chart’s 42-year history. Shinedown tops the list with 18 Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1s.

Metallica’s first No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Airplay came through “Until It Sleeps,” which stayed atop the chart for 8 weeks in 1996. Prior to “72 Seasons,” the album’s single “Lux Æterna” stayed on top for 11 weeks beginning in December 2022.

On the all-rock format, “72 Seasons” advanced 5-4, logging 4.1 million audience impressions (up 3%) in the audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay survey, dated June 16-22, according to Luminate.

72 Seasons, Metallica’s 11th studio album, debuted at No. 1 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart dated April 29 and appeared at No. 19 on the most recent list. It has earned 266,000 equivalent album units to date.

Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:

18, Shinedown17, Three Days Grace14, Five Finger Death Punch13, Van Halen12, Foo Fighters12, Godsmack12, Metallica11, Disturbed10, Tom Petty (solo and with the Heartbreakers)10, Volbeat