The original working title for Metallica’s 1991 album was Married to Metal.
The title referred to the personal upheaval surrounding the recording sessions. Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and Jason Newsted were divorcing their wives during the album’s production, and the phrase became an internal joke about the band’s intense commitment to music. According to Ulrich, the group later downplayed the title rather than using it officially.
Other possibilities were considered, including Five and the title of one of the songs. The musicians ultimately chose the simple eponymous title Metallica because they wanted to keep the presentation straightforward.
The phrase The Black Album was not the official title. It became a nickname because the original cover used a nearly black background with subdued band and snake emblems. That visual identity made the informal name immediately recognizable, even though the record’s formal title remained Metallica.