What is the total running time of Metallica's original album, commonly called The Black Album?

Metallica's original album, commonly called The Black Album, has a total running time of 62 minutes 40 seconds.

That duration applies to the original 1991 studio album sequence, not to later deluxe editions, remastered releases, or anniversary box sets. Those expanded editions add demos, live performances, alternate material, and other recordings, so their total playing time is much longer.

The album's substantial length reflects its twelve-track program and the detailed production approach led by Bob Rock. Metallica recorded the songs over an eight-month span, with numerous takes, overdubs, edits, and mixes used to create the finished sound. The result was slower and more spacious than the band's earlier thrash-oriented albums while remaining firmly rooted in heavy metal.

The original running time is also distinct from the lengths of individual tracks. “Enter Sandman,” for example, is a little over five minutes in its album version, while “Nothing Else Matters” is considerably longer. Together, the tracks form the sixty-two-minute sequence that became one of the defining albums of the 1990s.