The official title of Metallica’s album widely known as The Black Album is Metallica.
The self-titled record was released in 1991 and is the band’s fifth studio album. Its cover uses a nearly black design featuring the band’s logo and a subtle coiled snake, so listeners commonly began calling it The Black Album.
That nickname distinguishes the record from other albums that have also been informally called “the black album,” including releases by Prince and The Damned. In Metallica’s case, however, the formal title is the band’s own name rather than a separate subtitle.
The self-titled approach also marked a new phase for the group. After the complex thrash-metal arrangements of its first four albums, Metallica presented shorter, more direct songs with a broader hard-rock reach. The album became the band’s commercial breakthrough and remains one of its most recognizable releases.