Loads of bands had major releases in 1991, but two of the most enduring bands of the era –NirvanaandMetallica– released albums that year, within just six weeks of each other.Metallica(orThe Black Album), the Four Horsemen’s shift away from traditional thrash metal and towards a more mainstream sound, was released on August 12;Nevermind,Nirvana’s second and arguably best studio album, came out on September 24.
After almost 35 years of sales,it’s fascinating to see which album has sold more copies, and which remains more of a cultural icon. Metallica, aband that helped define ’80s metal, have reinvented themselves numerous times over the years. Meanwhile Nirvana, who disbanded in the wake of Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994, live on in their legacy (as well as the work of their former drummer, Dave Grohl).
Metallica’s Black Album Outsold Nirvana’s Nevermind
From a commercial perspective,The Black Albumeasily outperformed Nirvana’s sophomore effort. It sold just shy of 600,000 copies in its first week, and was Metallica’s first album to debut at the top of theBillboard200. By the end of its second week,The Black Albumwas certified platinum and went on to spend a full month at the top of the charts.
Nevermind, in contrast, debuted at number 144 on theBillboard200, andthe label was optimistically hoping it might be certified gold within a year of release. Media attention from the album’s lead single, the iconic “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” helped buoy sales significantly when it hit the top ten ofBillboard’s Hot 100 singles chart;Nevermindwas certified gold before the end of 1991, and hit platinum by November of the following year.
Metallica Released The Best-Selling Metal Album Ever
The Black Album Is Undeniably Proof That Sales Figures Don’t Signify Quality
Despite a fair amount of negative critical attention, including numerous accusations of having sold out, Metallica’sBlack Albumremains one of the best-selling albums of all time. Since 1991, it has been certified platinum 16 times and totaled 22.7 million certified sales, withprojections putting the number of copies sold at close to 31 million.
No other metal band has come close to this accomplishment; the closest competition, Linkin Park’s 2000 debut releaseHybrid Theory, tops out at only 25 million copies sold. Yet with all the certifications and accoladesThe Black Albumhas racked up over the years, there’s one important thing to keep in mind when comparing 1991’s hard-rocking chart toppers –Nevermindis objectively a better album.
Why Nevermind Is The Better Album
It’s A Heartfelt And Messy Exhumation Of Kurt Cobain’s Inner Demons
The Black Albumwas a commercial success, but it also marked a major change in Metallica’s musical style that only compounded over later releases. The 1990s saw Metallica transform from the hard-drinking thrash metal gods who had clawed out room for their subgenre in the face of ’80s glam metal into something maybe a step or two above dad rock;1996’sLoadand 1997’sReloadwere easy-listening compared to earlier albumslikeMaster of Puppets.
WhileThe Black Albumrapidly outsoldNevermindat first, Nirvana’s album has since basically caught up; in fact, while the label only claims total sales of approximately 30 million units, Nirvana’s album actually has significantly more certified sales than Metallica’s at 24.8 million.
It isn’t that artists should never evolve or change musically, or even thatThe Black Albumis bad in any way, but it didembody Metallica’s shift away from a raw and honest soundto something heavily over-produced and commercialized.Nevermind, by comparison, was Nirvana’s first time catching lightning in a bottle, and it drips with Kurt Cobain’s signature introspective genius. It’s 49 minutes and 15 seconds of brilliance; Cobain may have hated being called the voice of a generation, butNevermind’s lasting success comes from his songwriting and how he perfectly encapsulated angst and rage.
Nirvana’s Nevermind Remains Unique While Metallica’s Black Album Now Feels Generic
The Better Album Comes From The Band Whose Music Isn’t Constantly Used In Commercials
There’s nothing wrong with artists wanting to find more mainstream success with their work, and I’ve always foundThe Black Albumto be a perfectly cromulent record, with plenty of fist-pumping riffs and some really solid songwriting. The problem withThe Black Albumis thatMetallica’s behavior in the decades since has fundamentally changed how the album is perceived; those accusations of selling out ring a lot louder in the wake ofLars Ulrich’s selfish attitudein handling the Napster fiasco in the ’00s.
The Black Albumseriously lacks any sense of musical identity. On it, Metallica makes no major statements, lyrically or musically, or at least none that rival the strength and conviction of albums likeMaster of Puppetsand…And Justice For All. They’ve traded in their youthful anti-authoritarian ideology for the comfort of a steady middle-aged income. Meanwhile,Nevermindwas only the beginning of Kurt Cobain’s painfully short time in the spotlight, and is overflowing with his passion and soul.
It may well be that, if we hadn’t lost Kurt Cobain so tragically, Nirvana would have taken an equally commercialized approach to their careers and have been accused of sellouts for contributing a single to aMission: Impossiblefilm soundtrack. But that argument is really academic, as it ignores howfundamentally anti-establishment Cobain was. Kurt was a complicated, introspective, gender norm-defying auteur who found a way to make his message loud and clear to the people who yearned to hear it the most.
When I started learning how to play the guitar, “Enter Sandman” was one of the first songs I learned – but the very first one was “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Again, before the haters jump in the comments, let me be clear:The Black Albumis a fine record, and I’ve enjoyed listening to it plenty of times. When I started learning how to play the guitar, “Enter Sandman” was one of the first songs I learned – but the very first one was “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” So, as Kurt himself said, shave your head and wear a dress, becauseNevermindremains king.
Nirvana
Emerging from Aberdeen, Washington, Nirvana redefined rock music in the early ’90s. Their 1991 albumNevermind, featuring the iconic “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” catapulted grunge into the mainstream, resonating deeply with Generation X.
Metallica
Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, the band rapidly gained recognition for their fast tempos, complex instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship, establishing themselves as pioneers of thrash metal alongside peers like Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer.
