Who played bass on Metallica's The Black Album?

Jason Newsted played bass on Metallica's The Black Album.

Newsted joined Metallica in 1986 after the death of bassist Cliff Burton. He was therefore the band's bassist when the Black Album was written and recorded, alongside James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett.

The production gave Newsted's instrument a more audible role than on ...And Justice for All, whose bass sound is famously subdued. Bob Rock worked with Newsted to create a fuller rhythm-section sound that supported the guitars without competing with the kick drum.

Newsted also contributed songwriting to “My Friend of Misery.” The song began as a possible instrumental, continuing a pattern in which earlier Metallica albums had included instrumentals, but it ultimately received lyrics and became the album's eleventh track.