How long is Metallica's 1991 album, commonly called The Black Album, in its original edition?

Metallica's 1991 album, commonly called The Black Album, has an original running time of 62 minutes and 40 seconds.

That length covers the album's 12-track original edition, beginning with “Enter Sandman” and ending with “The Struggle Within.” The record balances several long heavy-metal compositions with slower and more melodic material, including “The Unforgiven” and “Nothing Else Matters.”

The running time can be confusing because later anniversary editions contain additional demos, live recordings, rough mixes, and cover versions. Those expanded releases are much longer than the original album and should not be used when identifying the 1991 edition's duration.

The album's sequencing also changed depending on the format. On the original vinyl release, the 12 songs were divided across four sides, with three tracks on each side. The compact-disc edition presented the same core track list as one continuous program. Thus, 62:40 refers specifically to the standard original album rather than the later deluxe box set or digital anniversary packages.