On what date did Metallica's The Black Album first release worldwide?

Metallica's The Black Album was first released on August 12, 1991.

The album was issued by Elektra Records and was officially titled Metallica, although its nearly black artwork quickly gave it the nickname The Black Album. It followed ...And Justice for All, released in 1988, and became the band's fifth studio album.

The release date came after recording sessions that ran from October 1990 through June 1991. Metallica began recording at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles, with additional work at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver and A&M Studios in Hollywood.

The album's first single, “Enter Sandman,” arrived before the album on July 29, 1991. Metallica then debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it the band's first album to top that chart. Its release began one of the most commercially successful periods in heavy-metal history.