The official title of Metallica's album commonly called The Black Album is Metallica.
The record is an eponymous album, meaning it uses the band's own name as its title. Metallica selected that simple title after considering other possibilities, including Five and the title of one of the songs. The self-titled choice reflected the band's desire to keep the presentation direct and uncomplicated.
The phrase The Black Album is an informal nickname rather than the title printed as the album's official name. It refers to the almost entirely black cover, which features a subtly embossed Metallica logo and a coiled snake derived from the Gadsden flag. Later editions made those elements easier to see by rendering them in dark gray.
This distinction is a common source of confusion because the nickname became more widely used than the official title. It also parallels informal names used for other famous self-titled records, but Metallica's nickname became especially persistent because of the striking minimalist artwork. The album remains Metallica's fifth studio release.