A snake appears as a faint image on the cover of Metallica's 1991 album.
The nearly black cover shows the band's logo in the upper-left area and a coiled snake in the lower-right area. The low-contrast artwork gives the image a subtle appearance, which is why the record became widely known as The Black Album even though its official title is simply Metallica.
The cover concept was created by Metallica and their management representative Peter Mensch. The snake image connects to “Don't Tread on Me,” one of the album's songs, whose title references the famous Gadsden flag motto and its associated rattlesnake symbolism.
Some listeners remember the snake as a separate logo or assume the cover depicts a different animal because the image is intentionally difficult to see. It is a coiled snake, not a wolf, eagle, or raven, and it occupies the lower-right portion of the standard artwork.