Metallica Rock to No. 1 In Australia With ’72 Seasons’

Metallica flexes its considerable muscle as 72 Seasons (via Universal) takes top spot on Australia’s chart.

By blasting to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published April 21, 72 Seasons gives the Bay Area metal legends an eighth leader in these parts.

Australians love the heavy stuff. The band’s mega-hit 1991 LP Metallica (also known as The Black Album) has been certified 13-times platinum by ARIA.

Clocking in 77 solid minutes, 72 Seasons is the followup to Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, which also led the ARIA Chart following its release in 2016.

Completing the podium on the latest survey is Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At A Time (down 1-2 via Mercury/Universal) and Taylor Swift’s platinum-certified Midnights (up 5-3 via Universal), respectively.

Homegrown country act The Wolfe Brothers snag a top 10 entry with Livin’ The Dream (BMG/ADA), new at No. 8. It’s their seventh studio album and fourth top 10 appearance, after This Crazy Life (No. 10 in 2016), Country Heart (No. 9 in 2018) and Kids on Cassette (No. 6 in 2021).

Led by siblings Nick and Tom Wolfe, the two-time ARIA Award-nominated act wrote the longplay during the pandemic, connecting with collaborators for writing sessions over Zoom.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Wallen locks up a second week at No. 1 with “Last Night” (Republic/Universal), and, thanks to Metallica, just misses out on a chart double. Wallen is enjoying the afterglow of his recent tour here, which saw him complete a run of arena and festival dates last month, promoted by Frontier Touring.

Another U.S. country star is enjoying high times in Australia. Luke Combs sees his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” (Columbia/Sony) drive 12-7, for a career high. That’s closing in on the No. 4 peak for the original, from back in 1988. According to ARIA, Combs’ previous best was “Forever After All,” which peaked at No. 14 in 2021. Combs returns to Australia this August for a national arena tour, also produced by Frontier Touring.

The highest new release on the chart belongs to David Kushner, whose viral tune “Daylight” (Virgin/Universal) breaks at No. 6. The 22-year-old U.S. singer and songwriter previously cracked the top 40 in 2022 with “Miserable Man,” which peaked at No. 36.

K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY confirms their “next big thing” status, as their breakthrough number “Cupid” (Warner) flaps its wings inside the ARIA top 10 for the first time. It’s up 17-9.

Finally, Post Malone delivers another chart hit, this time with the poppy number “Chemical” (Universal). It’s new at No. 14, for Posty’s 41st solo or collaborative top 50 hit here, according to ARIA. Malone, who recently played stadiums across Australia with Red Hot Chili Peppers, for Live Nation, today released a hits compilation, The Diamond Collection, a nine-number set including “Chemical.”