After decades of being a constant presence in heavy music, Megadeth finally grabbed the one stat that always seemed to sit just out of reach. According to Billboard, the band’s self-titled album, Megadeth, opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 dated February 7, giving them their first chart-topper after a Billboard 200 history that started back in 1986.
Over the course of their run, they’ve placed 23 albums on the chart, and until now, their ceiling was No. 2 with 1992’s Countdown To Extinction.
This No. 1 came from fans showing up like collectors and lifers, not casual listeners. Megadeth pulled 73,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. for the week ending Jan. 29 (per Luminate), and 69,000 of that total came from pure sales. In plain terms, people bought this record. That 69,000 figure also gives the band their biggest sales week since 1999, when Risk started with 74,000 sold.
The format breakdown makes it even clearer where the fuel was. Of the 69,000 sales, physical formats (CD, vinyl, cassette) totaled 56,000, with 22,000 of that on vinyl. Billboard notes that this is Megadeth’s strongest vinyl week of the modern tracking era, dating back to when Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991. Streaming still contributed, just on a smaller scale compared to purchases: SEA made up 4,000 units, which Billboard equates to 4.23 million on-demand official streams of the album’s tracks, while TEA was described as negligible.
A lot of that sales power came down to how the album was offered. The release got a boost from being spread across “more than a dozen vinyl variants,” plus a Target-exclusive CD that included a bonus track, and a deluxe digital download version that arrived mid-week with another bonus track. That’s the modern playbook for a band with a dedicated fanbase, and it worked.
The timing around the release also kept attention on the band. Megadeth came out on January 23, and the documentary Megadeth: Behind the Mask hit theaters the day before. Next up is the farewell run, which starts Feb. 15 in Victoria, British Columbia.
The band also claims the top spot in Australia (highest previous position #2) and Austria (highest previous position #8). Other top five spots include #2 in Finland (+ #1 physical), Sweden (+ #1 physical; highest previous position #9), and Belgium (highest previous position: #6); #3 in both the U.K. and Germany (highest previous position: #6); #4 in the Netherlands (highest previous position: #7); and #5 in both Italy (highest previous position: #15) and New Zealand (highest chart position ever). Debuts in additional territories are still being compiled at press time.
“After 40 years of delivering Megadeth music, playing shows around the world, I have nothing but gratitude at this moment. Finding out that our last Megadeth record is also our first #1 only further validates my will to go out on top,” says Dave Mustaine, vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer. “Thank you to my family, Teemu Mantasaari, James LoMenzo, Dirk Verbueren, and Chris Rakestraw, all our fans for making this possible, without you, Megadeth would not be as successful as we are. I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes, our management, Danny Nozell, Justis Mustaine, and Steve Ross at CTK, and our label BLKIIBLK/Tradecraft.”
“This recording is a labour of love, and I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. See you on tour soon!” – Dave Mustaine
“Absolutely amazing news! Thank you and congrats to our entire extended Megadeth family!” – Teemu Mäntysaari
“I want to sincerely thank all our friends and fans who grabbed a copy, we’re over the moon!” – James LoMenzo
“It feels unbelievable to sit atop the charts with an album that’s uncompromisingly Megadeth. Huge thanks to all of you who support us- you made this happen! See you on tour!” – Dirk Verbeuren
If anyone still wonders how Billboard converts all of this into a single number, the original article lays out the math. The Billboard 200 ranks albums by “equivalent album units” compiled by Luminate, combining album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums. One unit equals one album sale, or 10 tracks sold from the album, or 2,500 ad-supported streams, or 1,000 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams tied to the album’s songs.
One more context note from the article: 73,000 units at No. 1 is a relatively low total for the top spot, and Billboard points out it’s the lowest No. 1 sum since last May, when Sza’s SOS returned to No. 1 on the May 3-dated chart with 52,000 units. The key difference here is how Megadeth reached the top: the numbers lean heavily toward fans buying physical and digital copies.
For longtime followers, the career arc behind this moment matters. Megadeth first entered the Billboard 200 on the Oct. 25, 1986-dated chart with Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? at No. 118, later peaking at No. 76. So Far, So Good… So What! became their first top 40 album in 1988, peaking at No. 28. Then Countdown To Extinction delivered their first top 10 in 1992 and kicked off a run that includes nine top 10 albums overall.
If the studio chapter really closes here, Megadeth did it the hard way: decades of releases, years of near-misses, and then a purchase-driven No. 1 powered by the kind of fanbase metal bands live and die by.
