Metallica’s fifth studio album, commonly called The Black Album, was officially titled Metallica.
The self-titled record followed Kill ’Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All. Its completely black cover, interrupted mainly by the band’s logo and a coiled snake, led listeners to adopt the informal nickname The Black Album.
The title can cause confusion because Metallica had already released several albums named after distinctive phrases, while this one uses the band’s own name. It is therefore officially Metallica rather than The Black Album, although both names are widely understood.
Released in 1991, the album represented a major change in Metallica’s sound. Compared with the band’s earlier thrash-metal records, its songs generally used slower tempos, heavier grooves, simpler arrangements, and more polished production. The album’s enormous commercial success made the informal nickname nearly as recognizable as its official title.