What historical symbol inspired the coiled snake on Metallica’s The Black Album cover?

The coiled snake on Metallica’s The Black Album cover was inspired by the Gadsden flag.

The cover places Metallica’s angled logo in the upper-left area and a coiled snake in the lower-right. Both emblems were embossed against the nearly black background on the initial release, making them deliberately subtle.

The Gadsden flag is historically associated with a coiled rattlesnake and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me.” Metallica also used “Don’t Tread on Me” as the title of one of the album’s songs, creating a direct connection between the artwork and the track list.

The cover’s minimal design led listeners to call the record The Black Album, even though its official title is simply Metallica. Later editions used dark gray emblems that stand out more clearly than the original embossed artwork.