Metallica released its fifth studio album, Metallica, known as The Black Album, on August 12, 1991.
Elektra Records issued the album after an extended recording process at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles. The release followed ...And Justice for All, which had appeared in 1988, and marked a major shift toward a slower, heavier, more streamlined sound.
The album is officially titled Metallica, matching the band’s name, but fans and the music industry quickly adopted The Black Album because of its nearly black cover design. The cover carries a faint Metallica logo and a coiled snake, making the informal title easy to recognize.
The date is sometimes confused with the album’s recording period, which ran from October 1990 to June 1991. It is also distinct from the dates of later single releases, including “Nothing Else Matters,” which became a single in 1992.