"Orion" currently sits at roughly 128 BPM. For the Black Album, it likely would have been slowed down to emphasize the "swing" and weight, similar to the tempo of "Sad But True".

The Black Album sound was defined by extreme layering rather than the "scooped" thinness of earlier records.

Guitar cabinets would be recorded in a custom-built room to add a specific "room air" and 300–400 Hz boost for extra weight.

The Black Album replaced thrash-speed complexity with mid-paced, "stadium-ready" grooves.