Which song opens Metallica's The Black Album?

“Enter Sandman” opens Metallica's The Black Album.

The track starts with a clean, repeating guitar figure before expanding into the album's heavy main riff. That contrast became one of the record's defining musical signatures and made the song an especially effective introduction for listeners unfamiliar with Metallica.

“Enter Sandman” was also the album's lead single, released on July 29, 1991, shortly before the full record. Its lyrics draw on childhood nightmares and bedtime imagery, while the music presents those themes with a large, radio-ready arrangement.

The song's position at track one helped establish the album's new direction immediately. Metallica retained heavy guitars and forceful drumming, but the structures were more concise and the production more spacious than on the band's previous records. The single reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its music video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video in 1992.