What image appears on the lower-right area of Metallica's The Black Album cover?
Answer
A coiled snake
A coiled snake appears in the lower-right area of Metallica's The Black Album cover.
The snake is derived from the Gadsden flag, a historic American flag associated with the motto “Don't Tread on Me.” That same phrase became the title of one of the album's songs, linking the cover design and the record's track list.
The cover also places the band's logo at an angle in the upper-left corner. On the initial release, both the logo and snake were embossed so subtly against the black background that they were difficult to see, producing the nickname The Black Album.
The snake is sometimes mistaken for a separate band emblem or for imagery from another Metallica release. It is specifically part of the 1991 self-titled album's packaging. Later editions use dark-gray emblems that stand out more clearly than the original black-on-black presentation.