Which song is the opening track on Metallica's The Black Album?

“Enter Sandman” is the opening track on Metallica's The Black Album.

The song begins the album with a distinctive guitar riff and a relatively streamlined arrangement that helped introduce Metallica's new musical direction. Its lyrics draw on childhood fears, nightmares, and bedtime imagery, giving the track an accessible but unsettling theme.

“Enter Sandman” was also released as the album's lead single on July 29, 1991, shortly before the album arrived. Its music video received heavy exposure, and the song became one of Metallica's signature recordings and a frequent live opener or early-set highlight.

Several other Black Album songs became major singles, including “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.” They are sometimes mistaken for the opening track because of their prominence, but the standard album sequence starts with “Enter Sandman.”