# List of UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart number ones of 2003

The UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart is a record chart that ranks the best-selling rock and heavy metal albums in the United Kingdom. Compiled and published by the Official Charts Company, the data is based on each album's weekly physical sales, digital downloads and streams. In 2003, there were 17 albums that topped the 52 published charts. The first number-one album of the year was By the Way, the eighth studio album by Red Hot Chili Peppers, which remained at Number One for the first three weeks of the year at the end of a nine-week run which began on 23 November 2002. The final Number One album of the year was Permission to Land, the debut studio album by The Darkness, which spent the last four weeks of the year (and the first week of 2004) at Number One in its fourth spell of the year, at the top of the chart.
The most successful album on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart in 2003 was Permission to Land, which spent a total of 18 weeks at Number One over five spells, including a run of eight consecutive weeks between the week ending 9 August and the week ending 27 September. Permission to Land was the best-selling rock and metal album of the year, ranking sixth in the UK End of Year Albums Chart. By the Way spent nine weeks at Number One in 2003, and was the 18th best-selling album of the year. Evanescence's debut studio album Fallen was Number One on the chart for five weeks in 2003, Linkin Park's second studio album Meteora spent four weeks at number one, and three albums – One by One by Foo Fighters, Radiohead's Hail to the Thief and Room on Fire by The Strokes – were Number One for two weeks each during 2003.

## Chart history

Key :
| † | Indicates best-selling rock album of 2003 |
| Issue date | Album | Artist(s) | Record label(s) |
| 4 January | By the Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 11 January | By the Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 18 January | By the Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 25 January | One by One | Foo Fighters | RCA |
| 1 February | One by One | Foo Fighters | RCA |
| 8 February | Overgrown Eden | InMe | Music for Nations |
| 15 February | The Neon Handshake | Hell Is for Heroes | EMI |
| 22 February | By the Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 1 March | By the Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 8 March | By the Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 15 March | By the Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 22 March | By the Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 29 March | By the Way | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Warner Bros. |
| 5 April | Meteora | Linkin Park | Warner Bros. |
| 12 April | Meteora | Linkin Park | Warner Bros. |
| 19 April | Meteora | Linkin Park | Warner Bros. |
| 26 April | Meteora | Linkin Park | Warner Bros. |
| 3 May | Couldn't Have Said It Better | Meat Loaf | Mercury |
| 10 May | Fallen | Evanescence | Epic |
| 17 May | Fallen | Evanescence | Epic |
| 24 May | The Golden Age of Grotesque | Marilyn Manson | Interscope |
| 31 May | Deftones | Deftones | Maverick |
| 7 June | Fallen | Evanescence | Epic |
| 14 June | St. Anger | Metallica | Vertigo |
| 21 June | Hail to the Thief | Radiohead | Parlophone |
| 28 June | Hail to the Thief | Radiohead | Parlophone |
| 5 July | Fallen | Evanescence | Epic |
| 12 July | Fallen | Evanescence | Epic |
| 19 July | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 26 July | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 2 August | Strays | Jane's Addiction | Parlophone |
| 9 August | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 16 August | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 23 August | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 30 August | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 6 September | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 13 September | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 20 September | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 27 September | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 4 October | Absolution | Muse | East West |
| 11 October | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 18 October | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 25 October | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 1 November | Room on Fire | The Strokes | Rough Trade |
| 8 November | Room on Fire | The Strokes | Rough Trade |
| 15 November | This Left Feels Right | Bon Jovi | Mercury |
| 22 November | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 29 November | Blink-182 | Blink-182 | Geffen |
| 6 December | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 13 December | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 20 December | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |
| 27 December | Permission to Land † | The Darkness | Must Destroy |