Metallica’s 1991 record, widely nicknamed The Black Album, is the band’s fifth studio album.
It followed 1988’s ...And Justice for All and preceded the live release Live Shit: Binge & Purge. The album’s official title is simply Metallica, making it a self-titled release rather than a formally named “Black Album.”
The nickname comes from the minimalist cover, which uses a black background with a dark Metallica logo and a coiled snake. The snake references the Gadsden flag and connects visually with the album song “Don’t Tread on Me.”
As the band’s fifth studio project, it represented a major turning point. Metallica retained its heavy-metal identity but used shorter, more direct arrangements and a cleaner production style, helping the group reach listeners far beyond the thrash-metal audience that had followed its earlier albums.