What symbol appears on the cover of Metallica's album commonly called The Black Album?
Answer
A coiled snake
A coiled snake appears on the cover of Metallica's album commonly called The Black Album.
The cover places the band's logo in the upper-left corner and a coiled snake in the lower-right. Both images were embossed so subtly on early editions that they were difficult to see against the black background.
The snake is derived from the Gadsden flag, an American Revolutionary-era symbol whose motto is “Don't Tread on Me.” That phrase also became the title of a song on the album, linking the artwork directly to the track list.
The understated packaging helped create the album's familiar nickname. The official title remains Metallica, but the nearly black design made The Black Album an immediately recognizable shorthand among listeners and music writers.