Which symbol on Metallica’s The Black Album cover was derived from the Gadsden flag?

The coiled snake on Metallica’s The Black Album cover was derived from the Gadsden flag.

The cover places the Metallica logo toward the upper left and the snake toward the lower right. The snake connects the album’s visual design with the Gadsden flag, whose imagery also inspired the Metallica song “Don’t Tread on Me.”

On the initial release, both the band logo and snake were embossed against the black background. Their low contrast made them difficult to see, which helped create the widely used nickname The Black Album. Later editions used dark gray emblems that stand out more clearly.

The snake is sometimes mistaken for a generic heavy-metal emblem or confused with imagery from other Metallica artwork. Its specific source is the Gadsden flag, and the related song title reinforces that connection. The cover also helped make the self-titled record instantly recognizable despite its deliberately minimal design.