Which album was Metallica's immediate studio predecessor before The Black Album?

...And Justice for All was Metallica's immediate studio predecessor before The Black Album.

Released in 1988, ...And Justice for All was the band's fourth studio album. It was known for complex arrangements, long songs, and an intensely technical thrash-metal style. The Black Album followed it in 1991 as Metallica's fifth studio album.

The contrast between the two records is central to the story of Metallica's development. The Black Album retained heavy riffs but generally used shorter structures, slower tempos, more prominent bass, and a more polished production sound. That shift helped the band reach a much larger international audience.

Earlier albums such as Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets are often named when discussing Metallica's classic period, but neither was the album immediately before The Black Album. Load came later, in 1996, after the Black Album era.