What release date is listed for Metallica's 1991 album Metallica?

Metallica released its self-titled album on August 12, 1991.

The album is widely known as The Black Album because of its predominantly black cover and its restrained artwork. It followed ...And Justice for All, which had appeared in 1988, and became a major turning point in the band’s international career.

Metallica’s release was supported by several major singles, including “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.” The songs helped the album reach audiences well beyond the group’s established thrash-metal fan base.

The date is sometimes confused with the recording period. Metallica recorded mainly from October 1990 through June 1991, with final overdubs and mixing completed in June and July. The album therefore arrived only a few weeks after the final production work, rather than years after the sessions began.