Which Metallica members mainly wrote the songs for the 1991 album known as The Black Album?

James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich mainly wrote the songs for Metallica's 1991 album, known as The Black Album.

At the time, Hetfield and Ulrich formed the band’s principal songwriting partnership. Hetfield generally supplied the lyrics, while the two worked together on musical ideas and arrangements. They often composed at Ulrich’s house in Berkeley, California.

Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted also contributed ideas. Hammett helped originate some concepts, and Newsted wrote the main riff for “My Friend of Misery.” That song was initially intended to be an instrumental, continuing a pattern in which earlier Metallica albums had included instrumentals.

The songwriting credits therefore include all four members on many tracks, but the album’s central writing process was driven mainly by Hetfield and Ulrich. This distinction helps explain why the record is often discussed as a collaboration between the band’s frontman and drummer rather than as a solo project by either member.