Metallica's 1991 album Metallica was the band's fifth studio album.
It followed 1988's ...And Justice for All, making it the next step in the band's original sequence of studio records. The earlier albums were Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All.
The self-titled record represented a significant stylistic change from those predecessors. Metallica simplified some of its songwriting, reduced the emphasis on very long and complex arrangements, and pursued a slower, heavier, more refined sound. That change helped the album reach a much wider audience.
The record is often called The Black Album rather than simply Metallica. The nickname comes from its almost entirely black cover, where the logo and snake are deliberately difficult to see on the original pressing.