Metallica's self-titled The Black Album is the band's fifth studio album.
It followed Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All. Those four earlier records established Metallica as one of the leading bands in thrash metal, while the self-titled album expanded the group's sound with shorter structures, larger production, and more accessible arrangements.
The album's self-titled name can cause confusion because many fans refer to it only as The Black Album. That nickname describes the packaging rather than its official title and does not indicate that it was a compilation or a special greatest-hits release.
Its success made the fifth-album milestone especially important in Metallica's history. The record topped charts in several countries and introduced the band to a far larger international audience.