Which song closes Metallica’s original 1991 album, widely known as The Black Album?

“The Struggle Within” closes Metallica’s original 1991 album, widely known as The Black Album.

The song is the twelfth and final track in the original sequence. It follows “My Friend of Misery” and ends the record with a compact, aggressive performance after the longer, more spacious arrangements heard elsewhere on the album. Its placement gives the album a forceful conclusion rather than a soft or ambient ending.

The title reflects the album’s recurring interest in inner conflict, frustration, guilt, and emotional pressure. Similar themes appear in songs such as “The God That Failed,” “The Unforgiven,” and “Nothing Else Matters,” although each approaches them from a different lyrical and musical angle.

“The Struggle Within” was not one of the five commercial singles released from the album. Those singles were “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.” That difference helps explain why the closing track is less familiar to casual listeners than the record’s major radio songs.