What was “My Friend of Misery” originally intended to be on Metallica’s Black Album?

“My Friend of Misery” was originally intended to be an instrumental on Metallica’s Black Album.

Bassist Jason Newsted wrote the song’s main riff, and the initial idea continued a pattern from Metallica’s earlier albums, each of which had included an instrumental. The completed album ultimately included no full instrumental track, because “My Friend of Misery” was developed into a song with vocals and lyrics.

The track appears near the end of the standard sequence, after “The God That Failed” and before “The Struggle Within.” Its origin is notable because Newsted’s writing contributions were less prominent in the band’s public image than the songwriting partnership of James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

The song therefore preserves part of an older Metallica tradition while fitting the Black Album’s more direct format. It is not a cover or a live piece; it is a studio composition that evolved from an instrumental concept.