The azo-metal chelate dye to which the present invention is applied is a compound formed as follows: for example, 1,3,4-thiadiazole ring is selected as the diazo component; the diazo component is combined with a coupler component having condensed rings including a fluorine-substituted alkylsulfonylamino group and an amino group, to form an azo dye compound; and the azo dye compound forms chelate bonds with at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, Cu and Pd. Here, two absorption bands (OD1 and OD2) are seen in the absorption spectrum, which is measured in a range of 400 to 800 nm wavelengths. The azo-metal chelate dye is characterized in that the optical density ratio (OD2/OD1) of the two absorption bands is greater than 1.25. By using this azo-metal chelate dye, an optical recording medium capable of high-speed recording is provided.