Lars Ulrich shares songwriting credit with James Hetfield on every track of The Black Album. The album's songs are generally credited to the Hetfield–Ulrich songwriting partnership, with Kirk Hammett also credited on “Enter Sandman.”
Hetfield was Metallica's lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, while Ulrich played drums and helped shape the band's arrangements. Their partnership became central to Metallica's writing process, especially as the band moved from earlier thrash-metal complexity toward the more concise structures heard on the 1991 album.
The credit pattern is easy to confuse with the performing lineup. Jason Newsted played bass on the record, and Hammett played lead guitar, but neither shares songwriting credit with Hetfield on every track. Hammett's songwriting credit is especially notable on “Enter Sandman.”
The album's liner-note credits therefore show both collaboration and division of roles: Hetfield and Ulrich are the consistent credited writers, while other members contributed to particular songs or performances.