The snake on Metallica’s The Black Album cover resembles the snake emblem of the Gadsden flag.
The Gadsden flag, associated with the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me,” shows a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow field. Metallica’s sleeve places a faint, coiled snake beside the nearly black band logo, creating a subtle visual reference rather than reproducing the flag’s colors. The design’s low contrast is why many listeners only notice the snake after closer inspection.
The album also contains the song “Don’t Tread on Me,” whose title directly echoes the wording associated with the Gadsden emblem. That connection has led to confusion about whether the cover is an exact flag reproduction; it is not. The artwork uses a monochrome adaptation suited to the record’s minimalist black presentation. The flag itself dates to the American Revolutionary era and is named after Christopher Gadsden.