 Kill ' Em All was released July 25 , 1983 , by Megaforce with an initial pressing of 15 @,@ 000 copies . Because of the label 's financial restrictions , the album was pressed in batches of 500 copies . Kill ' Em All had sold 17 @,@ 000 copies in the US by the end of the year . Similarly to punk rock acts , Metallica promoted its material through the tape trading network and independent music magazines such as Metal Forces in the UK and Metal Mania in the US . The album did not enter the Billboard 200 chart until 1986 , when it peaked at number 155 following Metallica 's commercial success with its third studio album Master of Puppets . The 1988 re @-@ issue on Elektra Records also charted on the Billboard 200 , peaking at number 120 . It was certified 3 × platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) in 1999 for shipping three million copies in the United States . Despite being the lowest selling Metallica studio album , it helped the band establish its image and build a fanbase in its inaugural years . 
