What is depicted on the lower-right corner of Metallica's The Black Album cover?

A coiled snake is depicted in the lower-right corner of Metallica's The Black Album cover.

The snake is derived from the Gadsden flag, whose famous motto is “Don't Tread on Me.” That phrase also appears as the title of one of the album's songs, linking the cover image and the music. The band's angular logo appears 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. This minimalist design helped inspire the album's popular nickname, The Black Album. Later editions used dark gray emblems that stand out more clearly.

The cover is sometimes remembered as completely blank or as showing only the Metallica logo. Neither description is exact: the original artwork includes both the logo and the nearly hidden snake. The imagery was also discussed in relation to Spinal Tap's fictional album Smell the Glove, which the band referenced humorously in its documentary.