Metallica’s 1991 record, commonly known as The Black Album, is the band’s fifth studio album.
It followed Kill ’Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All. Those four earlier albums established Metallica as a major force in thrash metal, while the fifth record broadened the group’s audience with slower tempos, heavier production, and more concise song structures.
The album is officially titled Metallica, making it a self-titled release. Fans and writers adopted “The Black Album” because of the stark black packaging and the contrast between the dark background, the band’s logo, and the faint snake image.
A common mix-up is counting the 1987 Garage Days EP as a studio album. That release was an extended play of cover songs, not one of Metallica’s numbered studio albums. The Black Album’s position as number five is based on the band’s main studio-album discography.