Metallica's The Black Album is the band's fifth studio album.
The album followed Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All. Those four earlier records established Metallica's development from an underground metal act into one of the leading bands in heavy music.
Although it is often identified by its nickname, The Black Album is officially self-titled. Its position as the fifth album is therefore a discography fact, not a reference to a number printed in the title.
The record marked a major stylistic and commercial shift. Compared with the more complex thrash metal of the preceding albums, many of its songs used simpler structures, slower tempos, and a more refined production style. That change helped the album become Metallica's best-selling release and one of the most commercially successful heavy-metal albums ever made.