The 2021 covers album The Metallica Blacklist contains 53 tracks. It was released alongside the remastered 30th-anniversary edition of Metallica, commonly called The Black Album.
The project features more than 50 artists performing songs from the 1991 album in varied styles. The contributors came from different musical backgrounds, allowing the same Metallica compositions to appear as rock, pop, hip-hop, country, electronic, and experimental interpretations.
The Blacklist was not a second version of Metallica’s original track listing. Instead, it expanded the album’s legacy by inviting outside performers to reinterpret its songs. Some tracks received multiple covers, which is why the collection contains far more recordings than the 12 songs on the original studio album.
Profits from The Blacklist were donated to Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation as well as charities chosen by the participating artists. The number 53 therefore refers to the covers compilation’s total track count, not the number of songs on the 1991 album or the number of artists involved.