A snake is depicted on the cover of Metallica’s album commonly known as The Black Album.
The original cover places a dark Metallica logo in the upper-left area and a coiled snake in the lower-right. Both images were initially embossed so subtly against the black background that they were difficult to see, reinforcing the album’s famous nickname.
The snake was derived from the Gadsden flag, an American symbol featuring a rattlesnake and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me.” That same phrase became the title of one of the album’s songs, creating a link between the artwork and the track list.
Later editions made the logo and snake more visible by rendering them in dark gray. The cover also includes a folded booklet with photographs of the band members and lyrics. Its minimal design contrasted sharply with the elaborate artwork on several earlier Metallica releases.