Metallica's 1991 release, The Black Album, was the band's fifth studio album.
It followed Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All. The record's official title is Metallica, making it an eponymous album as well as the band's fifth full-length studio release.
The album represented a major transition. Earlier records were strongly associated with fast, technically intricate thrash metal, while Metallica emphasized broader grooves, slower tempos, memorable hooks, and more restrained arrangements.
The numbering can cause confusion because Metallica also released live albums, compilations, and other projects. Those releases do not change its position among the band's studio albums. The next studio album was Load, released in 1996.