Which Metallica album is commonly nicknamed The Black Album?

Metallica is the album commonly nicknamed The Black Album.

Its official title is Metallica, the same as the band’s name. The informal nickname comes from the cover’s predominantly black design, which includes a nearly hidden snake and the group’s logo. Fans use the nickname to distinguish the record from the band itself in conversation.

The album was released on August 12, 1991, as Metallica’s fifth studio album. It features major songs including “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.” The record became the band’s commercial breakthrough and its best-selling album.

The nickname can cause confusion with later Metallica releases, especially because several of the band’s albums have distinctive cover colors or visual themes. However, only the self-titled 1991 album is conventionally identified as The Black Album.