Metal isn't a genre that was built for the mainstream. Or at least, that's the conceit the metal scene has often taken to heart, eyeing successful bands with cynicism and accusations of "sell-out!" the second they breach any mainstream barriers, be it Cannibal Corpse appearing in Ace Ventura or Metallica pioneering stadium metal.
Still, over the decades, a surprising number of metal bands have broken through nonetheless, some even landing that unlikeliest of holy grails: a number one album. Here in the UK, we've had our fair share of them, from OG metal masters to nu metal juggernauts to millennial metalcore heroes, all beating out pop stars, heavyweight rappers and arena-filling DJs to sit smugly atop the album chart.
That in mind, we've dug through the UK music chart history to find out exactly how many bands have managed to tick off that impressive achievement. To be clear: we've discounted bands who largely fall outside of the metal barrier, even if they might've had some crossover to our world - no Led Zeppelins, Bon Jovis or Def Leppards here - and only looked at the albums that have specifically topped the mainstream UK albums chart. So, without further ado, here's every UK metal number one album to date.
1. Black Sabbath - Paranoid (October 10, 1970)
Starting right at the beginning - or close enough. After effectively laying down the blueprint for heavy metal with their debut album in February 1970, Sabbath's second effort proved a lot more successful.
Critics at the time might've hated it, but the Brummie boys became the first metal band in the world to get a number one when Paranoid topped the UK charts on October 10, 1970. The album stayed in the top 10 for another month after that, proving Sabbath could be just as successful as their contemporaries in Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.
2. Motörhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (June 27 1981)
Motörhead weren't often given to calling themselves a heavy metal band, but given they rose as part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal - even appearing on the legendary "Metal For Muthas" tour - they qualified for fans and critics alike.
It's appropriate that hardened road warriors such as Motörhead would achieve their only number one with a live record. The fact it came after the legendary Ace Of Spades surely helped, but No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith debuted at number one on release, June 27, 1981, marking a high point for the loudest band on the planet.
3. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast (April 10 1982 - April 17 1982)
It might've taken a decade for another metal album to top the charts, but fans wouldn't have to wait that long again. After recruiting Samson vocalist Bruce Dickinson the previous year, Iron Maiden proved they were ready to graduate from NWOBHM to being one of the biggest bands on the planet period with their third album.
Theatrical, epic and with just enough devilry to raise the hackles of the Satanic Panic a few years later, The Number Of The Beast was the moment Maiden took the metal crown. It also kickstarted a run that would see them (spoiler!) become the metal band with the most UK number ones to their name. TNOTB was also the first metal album to top the charts for multiple weeks, holding top spot two weeks running.
4. Iron Maiden – Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (April 23 1988)
Although they came within spitting distance with their next four releases (including 1985's Live After Death), it was Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son that officially awarded Maiden the title of "most successful UK metal band".
By that point, they'd all but claimed the title anyway, becoming the band who could pop up halfway across the world and still pack out massive arenas - as they proved with Rock in Rio. The last album to feature their "classic" line-up for over a decade, with the departure of Adrian Smith three years later. Seventh Son also indicated that Maiden were rapidly becoming a big singles band too; Can I Play With Madness peaked at number three in the UK singles charts, while each of the subsequent singles from the album achieved a top 10.
5. Metallica – Metallica (August 24 1991)
Thre's no arguing it: Metallica's Black Album was an absolute monster commercially. The first band of the 90s to go platinum, Metallica effectively became serious contenders for the biggest band on the planet, landing amidst a seven week run that would reshape rock and metal forever.
Although Metallica only held top spot for a week, it has made frequent returns to the charts over the years, holding an impressive 107 weeks in the top 100 to date, the most recent of which was in 2022. It was also the first metal album to top the charts both sides of the Atlantic.
6. Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion II (September 28 1991)
Hair metal might've been the biggest pop cultural export to arise from heavy metal in the 80s, but most of its bands had a dubious claim on the "metal" tag at best. Def Leppard had started out NWOBHM before ditching it all for hairspray and high-production, while Bon Jovi were closer to the Journeys and Aerosmiths of the previous decade than Sabbath, Priest or any of their ilk.
Guns N' Roses were the outlier. A heady collision of punk, glam, classic rock and heavy metal meant GNR were the hottest band on the planet by the time they released their debut, meaning it was all but inevitable that their second album would do the business. And it did, in a way. Split into a double release, Use Your Illusion held the top two spots on release in September 1991 (though surprisingly it was II that took top spot, possibly due to the singles at the time - You Could Be Mine and Don't Cry both popping up on that album), cementing them as one of the biggest bands in the world.
7. Iron Maiden – Fear Of The Dark (May 23 1992)
Maiden might've got metal's first number one single in the UK with Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter in 1990, but its parent album was held off top spot by the Three Tenors. Not so with follow-up Fear Of The Dark, which nabbed top spot on May 23 1992.
But although Maiden were still top of their game commercially, things behind the scenes were much more fraught. The last album to feature Bruce Dickinson until he - and guitarist Adrian Smith - rejoined the band in 2000, Fear Of The Dark was proof that even with their backs against the wall, Maiden could spin gold.
8. Metallica – Load (June 15 1996)
The alt rock boom of the 90s meant even as guitar music became more popular than ever, metal was increasingly sidelined. That didn't mean the behemoths were beaten completely, however. Five years after upending metal with The Black Album, Metallica offered their own foray into alt territories with Load.
While reception to everything from their singles to their haircuts proved divisive, Load nonetheless still took top billing in the UK on release. It was also Metallica's last number one in over a decade, the band's preference for pushing their comfort zones and trying new things translating to slower album sales for a time.
9. Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish And The Hotdog Flavored Water (February 3 2001)
From grunge to hair metal, US-born musical trends might've had a big impact on UK listening habits, but seldom translated to chart-topping success. So while nu metal was already a dominant force in the US, it wasn't until Limp Bizkit's third album that the genre officially took over in the UK.
Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water did the business both sides of the Atlantic, debuting at number one on release and even giving the band a number one single in the UK.with Rollin'. Follow-up Results May Vary would turn out to be Bizkit's last time in the UK top 10 - for now, at least.
![Limp Bizkit - Take a Look Around (Live at Top of the Pops Germany) [30th June 2000] #remastered - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Fdnp1eOI4cQ/maxresdefault.jpg)
10. Staind – Break The Cycle (September 1 2001)
With Limp Bizkit opening the floodgates, more nu metal number ones followed. The likes of Creed had proved there was a massive appetite for post-grunge, in the US at least, but Staind showed some of that appetite translated over the Atlantic.
Three albums in, Staind finally got their moment in the sun. Break The Cycle topped the charts both sides of the Altantic, hitting number one in the UK on its third week in the charts in August 2001. But with Nickelback releasing Silver Side Up just a few weeks later - and hitting number one themselves a few months later in January 2002 - Staind's time in the sun was brief and the band slipped down the charts on their subsequent releases.
11. Slipknot – Iowa (September 8 2001)
You wait the better part of a decade for a metal number one, then three come along in 12 months. The week after Staind nabbed their number one, Iowa's finest absolutely battered down the gates of the mainstream, changing the face of mainstream metal.
Sure, the heavy stuff had made plenty of in-roads to the mainstream over the decades, but Iowa was an unapologetic boot-to-the-face, blastbeats and feral growls suddenly on the throne of pop-land. It proved metal bands didn't need to tone down their hardest edges and still conquer the world, a lesson that countless other bands have taken to heart.
12. Linkin Park – Meteora (April 5 2003)
Linkin Park were an obvious smash from the get-go. Hybrid Theory was the best selling debut album since Guns N' Roses Appetite For Destruction and only missed out on a number one in the US thanks to the might of Creed, whose Weathered spent six weeks at top of the charts.
By the time album two rolled around, they were an unstoppable juggernaut. Meteora topped the charts both sides of the Atlantic and cemented Linkin Park as one of the best-selling bands of the new millennium.
![Numb (Official Music Video) [4K UPGRADE] – Linkin Park - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kXYiU_JCYtU/maxresdefault.jpg)
13. Evanescence – Fallen (June 28 2003)
The last great success story of the nu metal era, Evanescence's Fallen arrived just as the genre was losing steam. Not that you'd be able to tell from their success: Bring Me To Life not only topped the UK singles charts, but still holds the record for the longest run at the top (4 weeks), and when Fallen was released it similarly climbed to the top.
The album spent a whopping 71 weeks in the top 100 and returned several times in subsequent years - in 2006, 2007 and last in 2015 - showing that even while the wider scene was falling apart, Evanescence were a bright new star on the metal scene.
14. Guns N’ Roses – Greatest Hits (April 24 2004 -May 1 2004 / May 15 2004)
Talk about timing. In 2004 it looked like Chinese Democracy was no closer to release, but with Duff McKagan and Slash reuniting in Velvet Revolver, fond memories of GNR's glory days weren't hard to come by.
So when a Greatest Hits compilation arrived in May 2004, it generated enough buzz to land the band their second number one in the UK. It wasn't just the only compilation to make top spot, but also holds the record for the most weeks on top of the charts, spending two consecutive weeks and then popping up again on May 15, 2004.
15. Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight (May 26 2007)
By the time Minutes To Midnight came around, Linkin Park were getting itchy feet. Nu metal had all but dropped off a cliff commercially, but LP remained commercial heavyweights. Even so, in the years afterMeteora both Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington had formed side projects to explore other avenues, and Minutes... showed the fruits of their labours as the band pushed in new directions.
Working with Rick Rubin, Linkin Park maintained just enough of their core sound to keep fans happy whilst trying something new that wouldn't see them go down with the nu metal ship. It clearly worked: Minutes once again hit number one in both the UK and US, emboldening the band to take bigger swings in future.
![Bleed It Out (Official Music Video) [4K Upgrade] - Linkin Park - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OnuuYcqhzCE/maxresdefault.jpg)
16. Metallica – Death Magnetic (September 20 2008 - September 27 2008)
After a patchy few years at the start of the millennium - captured memorably on Some Kind Of Monster - Metallica were back and firing on all cylinders with Death Magnetic. Moving back to their core sound with a healthy mix of thrashers and even a couple of ballads, the album cleared the slate for many and reminded the world how potent a force Metallica were.
Although the production has been criticised in subsequent years, the fact remains Death Magnetic put Metallica back at the top of the totem pole creatively and commercially, the album spending two weeks at number one in the UK.
17. Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier (August 28 2010)
Although Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith rejoined Maiden in 2000, it took a decade for the band to once again top the UK charts. It's testament to both the devotion of Maiden's fanbase, and their creative ambition, that The Final Frontier was their longest album to date (it has since been surpassed by both subsequent records) yet still managed to achieve massive commercial success.
The Final Frontier didn't just top the charts in the UK; also hitting number one in 28 countries, it also gave the band a career-high position in the US when it peaked at number four. In many ways, it set the tone for Maiden going forward: longer songs, more ambitio us visual conceptsand world tours that had the budget (and income) of a small nation.
![Iron Maiden - El Dorado (En Vivo!) [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xMlaFD3s-1s/maxresdefault.jpg)
18. Linkin Park – Living Things (July 7 2012)
Continuing the path they'd started on with Minutes To Midnight, Linkin Park continued to experiment on Living Things. 2010's A Thousand Suns had lost on on top spot to pop group The Script, but the band were reclaiming the crown just two years later.
The first album to really dive into the electropop they would explore later on - to mixed results - Living Things in many ways precluded the likes of Sleep Token and Bad Omens a decade on for experimenting with pop elements. It paid off: topping the charts both sides of the Atlantic, it showed the band weren't waning as a dominant force even as they became more divisive.
![LOST IN THE ECHO [Official Music Video] - Linkin Park - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/co4YpHTqmfQ/maxresdefault.jpg)
19. Black Sabbath - 13 (June 22 2013)
When all four original members of Black Sabbath sat together at a press conference in LA in 2011 to announce their return, it felt like the metal world was healing. Sadly, contract issues meant drummer Bill Ward wouldn't make the full reunion, but his three bandmates - plus stand-in drummer, Rage Against The Machine's Brad Wilk - managed to give Sabbath's legacy one big last hurrah with 13.
A true 'playing the hits' record, 13 reminded everyone why no one does it quite like the grand masters, and the result was Sabbath's first number one album in four decades.
20. Avenged Sevenfold – Hail To The King (September 7 2013)
Avenged Sevenfold never really took off in the UK like they had in the States. 2010's Nightmare was the first time the band had achieved a Top 10 this side of the Atlantic (it was No. 1 in the States), arriving just six months after the tragic loss of drummer The Rev in December 2009.
Hail To The King was the first A7X album not to feature The Rev, but also marked a serious step towards more classic heavy metal territories. Even so, that made them the first band to graduate from metalcore roots to chart-topping territory, and then also the first metalcore band to headline Download Festival when they took top billing in 2014. Although the last A7X album to top the charts in the UK to date, the band have firmly remained an arena and festival headliner ever since.
![Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King [Official Music Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DelhLppPSxY/maxresdefault.jpg)
21. Iron Maiden – The Book Of Souls (September 17 2015)
Maiden were doubling down on The Book Of Souls. Literally. A double-album on CD, the record went one more on its chart-topping predecessor The Final Frontier by adding almost 20 minutes to the run-time, making Book... the longest album Maiden had (and have) ever done.
It didn't hurt their commercial performance any. Matching the success of its predecessor, the Book Of Souls was another resounding triumph in camp Maiden, and one which took on a defiant edge when it was revealed Bruce Dickinson was also treated for a cancerous tumour just weeks after leaving the studio.
22. Bring Me The Horizon – Amo (February 7 2019)
2013's Sempiternal changed the face of metalcore - particularly in the UK. But although that album put them in touching distance of a number one - it peaked at three - it wasn't until two albums later that Bring Me The Horizon officially hit chart-topper status.
By that point, they'd pretty much left metalcore behind entirely. Experimenting with electronica and pop, Amo was another seismic shift in the landscape for commercial-minded metal bands and its imprint can be found in everyone from Spiritbox to Bad Omens. It also helped set BMTH on the path to headlining major festivals: they headlined All Points East in Lodnon that year, taking top billing at Reading And Leeds, and Download just a few years later.
23. Slipknot – We Are Not Your Kind (August 22 2019)
It had been a tough decade for Slipknot. The 2010 passing of bassist Paul Gray marked the end of The Nine as a unit, and drummer Joey Jordison would depart a few years later in 2013. Even so, 2014's the Gray Chapter brought the band back to spitting distance from number one - it lost out to singer-songwriter Ben Howard - and with We Are Not Your Kind Slipknot got their first UK number one in almost 20 years.
It wasn't hard to see why. While they hadn't been lacking for critical praise on All Hope Is Gone and Gray Chapter, WANYK still felt like the most fired-up Slipknot had sounded since Vol. 3. Three singles from the album hit the top 100, and the album itself debuted at number one on release.
24. Bring Me The Horizon – Post Human: Survival Horror (February 4 2021)
After hitting number one with Amo, Bring Me The Horizon weren't about to gather dust. The band began working on material for their next release that same year and while COVID scuppered their plans some, it didn't derail them entirely.
Post Human: Survival Horror is neither a full album nor an EP, considered too long for the latter but ultimately too disparate for the former. Even so, it added another number one to BMTH's arsenal, guests ranging from Babymetal and Yungblud to Nova Twins and Doom composer Mick Gordon adding a unique flavour to Bring Me's already distinct composition.
25. Architects – For Those That Wish To Exist (March 11 2021)
A decade on from their first chart success, Architects finally hit top spot on For Those That Wish To Exist. Much like Bring Me The Horizon, the band had stepped away from their metalcore roots for their ninth album.
They weren't doing away with those roots entirely, however. Instead, they folded in everything from electronica to symphonics to underpin their sound and expand their songwriting repertoire, even chucking shades of industrial and nu metal into the mix. The result was a record that elevated the band to new arenas - quite literally, when they headed out on their first full UK arena tour to support the album that same month.
26. Slipknot – The End, So Far (October 13 2022)
After they'd gone back to basics on We Are Not Your Kind, Slipknot decided to get creative on their seventh record. The End, So Far was Slipknot's biggest creative swing yet, making heavy use of synth without dialling back too much of the aggression and power that made them such a force to be reckoned with in the first place.
Although the album didn't top the charts in the US - their first not to do so since Vol. 3 - it managed to eke out a victory in the UK, proving even with more divisive and experimental material, Slipknot could dominate.
27. Metallica – 72 Seasons (April 27 2023)
If Death Magnetic was Metallica going back to basics, then follow-up Hardwired... was them rewinding the clocks even further. Their thrashiest record since at least ...And Justice For All, if not Master Of Puppets, it only narrowly missed out on a top spot in the UK thanks to Little Mix.
Follow-up 72 Seasons continued much in the same vein, and managed to nab top spot on release in 2023. By that point, Metallica had nothing to prove to the world: they'd been selling out stadiums for decades and set an almost impossibly high bar for what success could mean for a metal band, but even so, it felt like an affirmation that even as they hit 40 years from their debut, they were anything but a spent force.
28. Linkin Park – From Zero (November 28 2024)
The return of Linkin Park was big news. Seven years on from the shocking death of Chester Bennington, nu metal's biggest graduates made a surprise return at an intimate show in LA, introducing their brand new singer, Emily Armstrong, of Dead Sara fame.
Any doubts over whether Linkin Park could still cut it vanished with From Zero, an album that brilliantly harked back to their millennial metal roots while pushing their experimental side further out with sonic motifs that drew inspiration from everything from Twenty One Pilots to Sia. LP's triumphant return was cemented as From Zero topped the charts, over twenty years since Meteora bagged their first UK number one.
29. Sleep Token - Even In Arcadia (May 16 2025)
The insane success of Even In Arcadia confirmed beyond any doubt that Sleep Token are the single biggest success story the metal scene has produced in decades. Not only did it cruise largely unchallenged to land number ones both in the UK and US, but just over a week after its release, it was confirmed that Sleep Token's fourth offering was officially the biggest-selling hard rock album of the last two years, and had bagged the most weekly streams of any hard rock album ever.
Of course, like Bring Me The Horizon, Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit before them, whether Sleep Token even count as a metal band is a debate that will rage on for years to come. But when you're packing legit breakdowns and death metal screams on a UK number one album - however many smooth pop hooks and sax solos they're buried beneath - you'll hear no complaints from us.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
