Jason Newsted played a 12-string mandocello on Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam” to add an Eastern-flavored sound.
The mandocello is a large member of the mandolin family, with a lower register and a distinctive ringing tone. Its use gives the song an unusual timbral layer alongside the standard-tuned guitars and bass.
“Wherever I May Roam” appeared on Metallica’s 1991 album and was released as its fourth single in October 1992. The song’s lyrics portray a restless, constantly traveling narrator whose sense of home comes from movement rather than a fixed place.
The instrument is sometimes incorrectly identified as a sitar because of the song’s exotic color. It is a mandocello, specifically a 12-string Hamer mandocello associated with Newsted’s contribution. The song was written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, with Hetfield also credited as lyricist.