Metallica released the album known as The Black Album on August 12, 1991.
The record arrived through Elektra Records after an extensive recording period at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles. It followed the band’s 1988 album ...And Justice for All and marked a major turning point in Metallica’s public profile.
The release date is sometimes confused with the dates of its later singles. “Enter Sandman” preceded the album as a single in 1991, while “Nothing Else Matters” was issued as a single in 1992. Those separate dates do not change the album’s release date.
Metallica’s fifth studio album became known informally as The Black Album because of its stark black cover. Its arrival began a long commercial run, with the record topping charts in multiple countries and becoming one of the best-selling heavy-metal albums ever released.