Metallica considered the working title “Married to Metal” before choosing the official title Metallica for its 1991 album.
The phrase came from the divorces of Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and Jason Newsted around the album’s creation. According to accounts summarized in the album’s packaging history, the title was treated as a running joke rather than a final decision.
The band also considered names such as Five and possible song titles. Ultimately, the members chose the simple eponymous title Metallica. Fans and the music press later adopted The Black Album because of the nearly black cover, but that is a nickname rather than the formal title.
This history creates several common mix-ups. “The Black Album” is not an alternate official title printed as the main album name, while “Married to Metal” was never the released title. The final choice emphasized the band’s name and presented the record as a defining statement.