Metallica made four demo recordings for The Black Album on August 13, 1990.
The demos were for “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” and “Wherever I May Roam.” These early versions captured important material before the band entered the main album-recording sessions later that year.
The demo session provides a useful snapshot of the album's development. “Enter Sandman” was the first song written for the project, although it was the last of the four to receive lyrics. The demo list also included three songs that became major parts of the final sequence.
A separate demo of “Sad but True” was recorded on October 4, 1990. That later date is why the total for August 13 should not be confused with every demo associated with the album's development.