What animal appears in the lower-right corner of Metallica's The Black Album cover?
Answer
A coiled snake
A coiled snake appears in the lower-right corner of Metallica's The Black Album cover.
The snake is derived from the Gadsden flag, an American historical flag featuring a rattlesnake and the motto “Don't Tread on Me.” The album's artwork places the band's angled logo in the upper-left corner and the snake in the lower-right.
On the original release, both the logo and snake were embossed so subtly against the black background that they were difficult to see. This restrained packaging helped inspire the album's widely used nickname, The Black Album.
The snake also connects visually with the track “Don't Tread on Me,” whose title comes from the Gadsden flag motto. Later editions used dark-gray emblems that stand out more clearly than those on the first pressing.