A snake is shown in faint outline on the cover of Metallica's album commonly called The Black Album.
The coiled snake appears in the lower-right portion of the cover, while the band's logo is angled in the upper-left corner. On the original release, both emblems were embossed so subtly that they were difficult to see against the black background.
The snake was derived from the Gadsden flag, a historic American flag featuring a coiled rattlesnake. The flag's motto, “Don't Tread on Me,” also became the title of a song on the album, linking the packaging concept to the track list.
The understated design helped create the album's famous nickname. The official title is Metallica, but the almost entirely black presentation led listeners to call it The Black Album. Later editions used dark-gray emblems that stand out more clearly, while retaining the same basic visual concept.