Megadeth's Final Album Tops Billboard 200 at No. 1

Megadeth's self-titled 17th studio album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated February 7, 2026, marking the first time the influential thrash metal band has reached the top spot in its more than four-decade career. Released on January 23, the album achieved this milestone with 73,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the tracking week ending January 29, according to chart data compiled by Luminate.

The album's strong performance was driven primarily by pure sales, totaling 69,000 units, including 56,000 physical copies such as CDs, vinyl, and cassettes. Vinyl sales alone accounted for 22,000 units, the band's best week in that format since electronic tracking began in 1991. Streaming contributed an additional 4,000 units, equivalent to 4.23 million on-demand official streams of its tracks. Track equivalent albums from individual song sales added a negligible amount. This debut represents the largest first-week total for a Megadeth album since 1999's Risk opened with 74,000 units, though it is the lowest sum for a No. 1 debut since SZA's SOS returned to the top in May 2025 with 52,000 units.

For Megadeth, founded in 1983 by guitarist and vocalist...