Album · 35 years old this year
Metallica
Metallica, known to most fans as The Black Album, is the band's fifth studio album, released on 12 August 1991. It followed four thrash records, from Kill 'Em All to …And Justice for All, and marked a turn towards something slower, heavier and more refined. The sessions ran for eight months at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles, with the band often at odds with new producer Bob Rock.
The gamble paid off. It became Metallica's first chart-topper in the US, spending four straight weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, and has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Five singles came from it: "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Sad but True", all among the band's best-known songs. It is worth hearing as the moment Metallica reshaped their sound and brought it to a far wider audience.
Metallica on Riffology
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Metallica: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 1:02:39Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1Enter SandmanHammett, Hetfield, Ulrich5:32
- 2Sad but TrueJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich5:25
- 3Holier Than ThouJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich3:48
- 4The UnforgivenHammett, Hetfield, Ulrich6:27
- 5Wherever I May RoamJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich6:44
- 6Don’t Tread on MeJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich4:00
- Disc 2
- 1Through the NeverHammett, Hetfield, Ulrich4:04
- 2Nothing Else MattersJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich6:29
- 3Of Wolf and ManHammett, Hetfield, Ulrich4:17
- 4The God That FailedJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich5:09
- 5My Friend of MiseryHetfield, Newsted, Ulrich6:50
- 6The Struggle WithinJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich3:54
- Produced by
- James Hetfield, Bob Rock, Lars Ulrich
- Recorded at
- One on One (Los Angeles), Little Mountain Sound (Vancouver), A&M (Los Angeles)
- Recorded
- 6 October 1990 – 16 June 1991
- Engineered by
- Randy Staub
- Label
- Vertigo
- Length
- 1:02:39
Line-up
- Kirk Hammett · guitar
- James Hetfield · guitar, lead vocals
- Jason Newsted · bass guitar
- Lars Ulrich · drums (drum set)
Singles
- “Enter Sandman” · 29 July 1991
- “The Unforgiven” · 28 October 1991
- “Nothing Else Matters” · 20 April 1992
- “Wherever I May Roam” · 19 October 1992
- “Sad but True” · 8 February 1993
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| Finnish Albums (Official Finnish Charts) · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| German Albums · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| Portuguese Albums · 1991–2021 | 1 |
All 32 charts
| Swiss Albums · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 1991–2021 | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1991–2021 | 2 |
| European Albums (Billboard) · 1991–2021 | 2 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) · 1991–2021 | 2 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) · 1991–2021 | 2 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1991–2021 | 3 |
| Dutch Albums · 1991–2021 | 4 |
| Scottish Albums · 1991–2021 | 4 |
| Swedish Albums · 1991–2021 | 4 |
| Zimbabwean Albums · 1991–2021 | 4 |
| Danish Albums · 1991–2021 | 5 |
| Polish Albums · 1991–2021 | 5 |
| Spanish Albums · 1991–2021 | 5 |
| Ireland 3 · 1991–2021 | 6 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1991–2021 | 7 |
| South African Albums (SABC) · 1991–2021 | 9 |
| Hungarian Albums · 1991–2021 | 10 |
| Mexican Albums · 1991–2021 | 42 |
| Czech Albums · 1991–2021 | 43 |
| French Albums · 1991–2021 | 53 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina | 5× Platinum |
| Australia · 2021 | 13× Platinum |
| Austria · 2000 | 2× Platinum |
| Belgium · 2008 | 2× Platinum |
| Canada · 1991 | Diamond |
| Denmark · 2025 | 9× Platinum |
| Finland | 2× Platinum |
| France · 1994 | Platinum |
| Germany · 2019 | 4× Platinum |
| Italy · 2017 | 2× Platinum |
| Japan · 1993 | Platinum |
| Mexico · 2000 | Gold |
| Netherlands | 2× Platinum |
| New Zealand | 10× Platinum |
| Norway · 2012 | 3× Platinum |
| Poland · 2019 | Platinum |
| Portugal · 2025 | Gold |
| Sweden · 1992 | Platinum |
| Switzerland | 3× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2023 | 3× Platinum |
| United States · 2025 | 2× Diamond |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
93.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
21k
ListenBrainz listeners
487k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
56k
Deezer fans (all editions)
← The Good the Bad & the Live: The 6½ Year Anniversary 12″ Collection (1990)Live Shit: Binge & Purge (1993) →
Also released on 12 August
Every year →
More from Metallica
Full discography →
Kill ’Em All
1983
Ride the Lightning
1984
Master of Puppets
1986
The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re‐Revisited
1987
Creeping Death / Jump in the Fire
1987
…And Justice for All
1988
1985-03-15: Kabuki Theater, San Francisco, CA, USA
1990
Metallica The Good the Bad & the Live: The 6½ Year Anniversary 12″ Collection 1990
The Good the Bad & the Live: The 6½ Year Anniversary 12″ Collection
1990
Live Shit: Binge & Purge
1993
Load
1996
Hero of the Day EP
1996
Reload
1997
Garage Inc.
1998
Cunning Stunts
1998
S&M
1999
St. Anger
2003
The Unnamed Feeling E.P.
2004
Some Kind of Monster
2004
Limited‐Edition Vinyl Box Set
2004
The Videos: 1989–2004
2006
Death Magnetic
2008
Orgullo, pasión, y gloria: Tres noches en La Ciudad de México
2009
Six Feet Down Under, Part II
2010
Melbourne Magnetic - November 18 2010
2010
Live at Grimey's
2010
Lulu
2011
Beyond Magnetic
2011
2011-12-07: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA
2011
Through the Never (Music From the Motion Picture)
2013
Hardwired… to Self‐Destruct
2016
S&M2
2020
Leftovers From the Black Album Box Set
2023
72 Seasons
2023
The best of 1991
All of 1991 →
Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
Use Your Illusion I
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Ten
Pearl Jam · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
On Tour Now!
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Innuendo
Queen · 1991
Kerplunk!
Green Day · 1991
Badmotorfinger
Soundgarden · 1991
Gish
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1991
Arise
Sepultura · 1991
1916
Motörhead · 1991
More on Vertigo
The label →…And Justice for All
Metallica · 1988
Death Magnetic
Metallica · 2008
St. Anger
Metallica · 2003
Load
Metallica · 1996
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath · 1970
S&M
Metallica · 1999
Vol 4
Black Sabbath · 1972
Heaven and Hell
Black Sabbath · 1980
Pyromania
Def Leppard · 1983
Sabotage
Black Sabbath · 1975
Mob Rules
Black Sabbath · 1981
Never Say Die!
Black Sabbath · 1978
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 12 August 1991 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 12 August 1991 | |
| Wikidata | 12 August 1991 | |
| US release | 12 August 1991 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1991 | earliest UK or European date |
52 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Universal | 731451002229 | other |
| — | AR | Vertigo | 731451002229 | other |
| — | US | Elektra | 075596111324 | other |
| — | XE | Universal | 731451002229 | other |
| — | XE | Vertigo | 731451002229 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Vertigo | 731451002212 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Vertigo | 731451002229 | other |
| 1991 | CA | Elektra | 075596111324 | other |
| 1991 | US | Vertigo | other | |
| 1991 | GB | Vertigo | 731451002229 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Vertigo | 731451002229 | other |
| 1991 | MX | Vertigo | 731451002229 | other |
| August 1991 | XE | Vertigo | 731451002229 | other |
| August 1991 | US | Elektra | 075596111317 | other |
| 12 August 1991 | CA | Elektra | 075596111324 | original |
| 12 August 1991 | US | Elektra | 075596111324 | original |
| 12 August 1991 | US | Elektra | 075596111324 | original |
| 12 August 1991 | AU | Vertigo | 731451002229 | original |
| 29 August 1991 | JP | Sony Records | 4988009557724 | other |
| 2 September 1991 | ZA | Vertigo | 6001210554837 | other |
| 1993 | AU | Vertigo | 731451002229 | other |
| 1993 | GB | Vertigo | 731451002229 | other |
| 2000 | XE | Simply Vinyl | 643346020716 | other |
| 2001 | US | Elektra | 075596111393 | other |
| 6 November 2003 | JP | Sony Records International | 4547366012965 | other |
| 9 August 2006 | JP | Universal International | 4988005440051 | other |
| 2008 | XE | Universal Music Group International | 600753156063 | other |
| 2008 | XE | Universal Music Group International | 731451002212 | other |
| 5 June 2008 | KR | Vertigo | 8808678200706 | other |
| 12 September 2008 | JP | Vertigo | 4988005530509 | other |
| 28 November 2008 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 0093624984962 | other |
| 22 September 2010 | JP | Vertigo | 4988005628664 | other |
| 2 November 2011 | JP | Vertigo | 4988005690685 | other |
| 3 December 2012 | CA | Blackened | 0093624986553 | other |
| 24 September 2013 | US | Blackened | 856115004514 | other |
| 3 April 2020 | CA | Blackened | 850007452124 | other |
| 25 December 2020 | CA | Blackened | 093624986553 | other |
| 2021 | XW | Blackened | 0602438404537 | remaster |
| 10 September 2021 | CA | Blackened | 850007452087 | deluxe |
| 10 September 2021 | CA | Blackened | 850007452056 | remaster |
| 10 September 2021 | US | Blackened | 850007452070 | remaster |
| 10 September 2021 | — | Blackened | 00602438401109 | remaster |
| 10 September 2021 | — | Blackened | 00602438404551 | remaster |
| 10 September 2021 | JP | Blackened | 4988031447284 | other |
| 10 September 2021 | XE | Blackened | 602508507090 | other |
| 10 September 2021 | XE | Blackened | 602577471063 | deluxe |
| 10 September 2021 | — | Blackened | 00602438404339 | remaster |
| 10 September 2021 | CA | Blackened | 850007452025 | remaster |
| 10 September 2021 | US | Blackened | 850007452018 | other |
| 10 September 2021 | — | EMI | 00602438404360 | remaster |
| 10 September 2021 | US | Blackened | 850007452001 | other |
| 10 September 2021 | XE | Blackened | 850007452049 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 2000x2000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2000×2000 | native: native 2000x2000 |
| itunes | 2000×2000 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |