Which single was the second release from Metallica’s The Black Album?

“The Unforgiven” was the second single released from Metallica’s The Black Album.

The song followed “Enter Sandman,” the album’s lead single, and was released in 1991. It presented a different side of the record, pairing heavy, distorted verses with a softer, melodic chorus and clean guitar textures.

That reversed dynamic was deliberate. Metallica had previously used ballads whose verses were generally gentler and whose choruses became heavier. “The Unforgiven” turned that familiar pattern around, helping it stand out within the album’s sequence.

The song later became the first entry in a trilogy. “The Unforgiven II” appeared on Reload in 1997, and “The Unforgiven III” appeared on Death Magnetic in 2008. Those sequels can cause confusion when identifying the original single, whose title is simply “The Unforgiven.”