Five singles were released to promote Metallica’s 1991 album Metallica, commonly called The Black Album.
The five commercial singles were “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.” Their release sequence extended the album’s visibility well beyond its initial arrival in August 1991.
The songs served different roles in the album’s campaign. “Enter Sandman” introduced the record’s lead single, while “Nothing Else Matters” showed the band’s ability to succeed with a ballad-like rock song. “Sad but True” and “Wherever I May Roam” emphasized the album’s heavy side.
“Don’t Tread on Me” is the common source of confusion. It was sent to rock radio as a promotional release but was not issued as a commercial single, so it is not included in the total of five.