Metallica’s The Black Album is the band’s fifth studio album.
The self-titled record followed Kill ’Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All. Those four earlier albums established Metallica as one of the leading bands in thrash metal before the 1991 release broadened its sound and audience.
Although it is officially titled Metallica, the album is almost universally identified by its informal nickname because of its minimalist black artwork. That nickname also distinguishes it from the band’s name when discussing their catalog.
The album’s position in the discography is sometimes confused with its release number among all Metallica projects. It was not the band’s fifth recording of any kind: live albums, compilations, and later projects are counted separately from studio albums. The relevant classification here is studio album, making the answer fifth.