Metallica The Black Album

Metallica (also known as The Black Album, in reference to The White Album, because of its largely black and nearly-featureless cover) is the 1991 self-titled 5th studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica.Metallica was released August 12, 1991, through Elektra Records and is the band's best-selling album to date, with 15 million copies sold in the United States alone as of 2007 and 22 million copies worldwide.On the cover, only the band's logo and a coiled snake (derived from the Gadsden flag - which could be seen hanging on a wall in the "One on One" recording studio where the album was recorded) are visible. The motto of the Gadsden flag, "Don't Tread on Me", is also the title of a song featured on the album.While the album and the band were critically praised and commercially successful, some fans expressed disappointment in the new direction taken by Metallica. Gone for the most part were faster staccato riffs during verses and throaty vocals found on the band's first four albums; the overall speed and complexity of the music was greatly reduced. The Black Album presented a more radio-friendly, commercially accessible Metallica, especially evidenced by the ballad "Nothing Else Matters". Moreover, following the success of "One," the breakaway single from their …And Justice for All album, five videos were released from the Black Album. ("Enter Sandman", "Nothing Else Matters", "Sad But True", "Wherever I May Roam" and "The Unforgiven").The lyrics of The Black Album, written by James Hetfield, were much more personal and introspective in nature than previous Metallica albums.. For example, "The God That Failed" dealt with Hetfield's mother's death from cancer and her Christian Science beliefs which kept her from seeking medical treatment. "Nothing Else Matters" expresses the connection Hetfield felt with a girlfriend while out on the road. The album also ended Metallica's tradition of including a lengthy instrumental track on each album.

The album has sold over 15,000,000 copies, and continues to sell to this day.

Tracklist :
1. "Enter Sandman" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Kirk Hammett) – 5:34
2. "Sad But True" – 5:23
3. "Holier Than Thou" – 3:48
4. "The Unforgiven" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett) – 6:27
5. "Wherever I May Roam" – 6:46
6. "Don't Tread on Me" – 4:01
7. "Through the Never" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett) – 4:03
8. "Nothing Else Matters" – 6:29
9. "Of Wolf and Man" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett) – 4:17
10. "The God That Failed" – 5:05
11. "My Friend of Misery" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Jason Newsted) – 6:50
12. "The Struggle Within" – 3:54