Metallica Achieve Best Debut on the Mainstream Rock Chart in Five Years
Metallica have notched the best debut on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart in five years. The achievement comes from the S&M2 version of "All Within My Hands" — the song featuring the band backed by the San Francisco Symphony — opening at the No. 12 position after the single's first week out.
The live rendition of the St. Anger track arrived last week (July 15) alongside a version of "Nothing Else Matters" from the same concerts, which saw Metallica perform with the orchestra in September 2019. The occasion marked the 20th anniversary of the two entities' first collaboration, 1999's S&M.
Per Billboard, the No. 12 launch of S&M2's "All Within My Hands" makes it the Mainstream Rock Songs ranking's highest arrival since Shinedown's "Cut the Cord" debuted at No. 9 in July 2015. The recent Metallica entry got there with some immediacy, too, landing the feat within five days of the song's release. The song's placing reflects on the Mainstream Rock Songs listing for the week ending July 25.
All told, the accomplishment marks Metallica's 38th appearance on the Mainstream Rock chart, which started keeping tabs in 1981. Further, the group has the ninth-most entries on the survey among all other charting acts.
The total of S&M2 arrives Aug. 28 as both a live album and concert documentary in various formats. It contains 20 songs (over two-and-a-half hours of music) from the Metallica events that opened San Francisco's new Chase Center. Related merch bundles are now available on the band's website.
All Metallica Songs Ranked