PURPOSE: To provide an optical recording layer which has an adequate complex refractive index in a laser beam wavelength region (760 to 800nm) by consisting of the optical recording layer of a specifically constituted metal phthalocyanine compd. as its essential component.

CONSTITUTION: The optical recording medium formed by providing the surface of a substrate with at least the light absorption layer is formed of the layer composed of the metal phthalocyanine compd. expressed by the formula as its essential component. In the formula, M is a bivalent metal atom or tervalent or quadrivalent substd. metal compd.; R1 to R4 are the same or different and are groups coordinatable at the central metal; m, n, p, g are an integer from 0 to 4 and at least one thereof denote an integer of ≥1 R1 to R4 are preferably groups contg. at least one kind of the elements selected from a group consisting of N, O and S.