Which Metallica song on The Black Album was recorded in D standard tuning?

“Sad but True” was recorded in D standard tuning on Metallica’s The Black Album.

D standard tuning lowers every guitar string by a whole tone, producing the notes D–G–C–F–A–D. The lower tuning contributes to the song’s especially deep and heavy character. Metallica originally wrote and demoed the song in standard E tuning before changing it during pre-production.

Producer Bob Rock suggested the adjustment after noticing that many songs in the early sessions were in E. He had used a down-tuned approach on Mötley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood, an album Metallica admired. The move to D helped make the main riff sound larger and more forceful.

“Sad but True” was the fifth and final commercial single from Metallica. It was released in February 1993 and reached number 15 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The song’s heavy groove made it one of the album’s most distinctive tracks.