  metallica (also known as the black album) is the eponymously titled fifth studio album by american heavy metal band metallica. it was released on august 12, 1991, through elektra records, and received widespread critical acclaim and became the band's best selling album. metallica produced five singles that are considered to be among the band's best-known songs: "enter sandman", "the unforgiven", "nothing else matters", "wherever i may roam", and "sad but true". the album marked a change in the band's sound from the thrash metal style of the band's previous four albums to a less harsh one. metallica promoted the album with a series of tours. in 2003, the album was ranked numb
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