A snake is subtly depicted on the cover of Metallica’s 1991 self-titled album, commonly called The Black Album.
The original artwork is almost entirely black, with the Metallica logo in the upper-left area and a gray outline of a coiled snake toward the lower-right. The restrained design gives the image a stark appearance rather than presenting a detailed scene.
The snake is sometimes overlooked because it blends into the dark background. That visual subtlety is one reason the cover became associated with the nickname The Black Album, even though the official title is simply Metallica.
The cover’s minimalism contrasts with earlier Metallica artwork, such as Master of Puppets, whose cover presents a dramatic field of graves and crosses. The Black Album’s understated design matched the band’s more direct and polished musical presentation.