Which Metallica song was originally intended to remain an instrumental on The Black Album?

“My Friend of Misery” was originally intended to remain an instrumental on Metallica, commonly called The Black Album.

The song grew from a musical idea by bassist Jason Newsted, who wrote its opening bass riff and initially imagined it as the fifth instrumental in Metallica's catalog. The band had previously included instrumentals such as “(Anesthesia)–Pulling Teeth,” “The Call of Ktulu,” “Orion,” and “To Live Is to Die.”

During the Black Album sessions, producer Bob Rock encouraged the band to add lyrics, changing the piece from a planned instrumental into a vocal song. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Newsted share the songwriting credits on the finished track.

The song appears as track 11, shortly before “The Struggle Within.” It is sometimes mistaken for a fully instrumental Metallica composition because of its extended bass-led opening and its connection to the band's earlier instrumental tradition.