A sitar is notably heard in the introduction to Metallica's “Wherever I May Roam.”
The song's opening stands apart from the rest of The Black Album because it combines the band's heavy guitar sound with Asian-influenced instrumentation. The introduction includes a gong, sitar, and an overdubbed Warwick twelve-string bass before the standard four-string bass takes over for the main body of the recording.
The sitar is used as a color and atmosphere rather than as the primary instrument throughout the song. The unusual opening supports the song's theme of travel, independence, and a life without a fixed home, while the later sections return to Metallica's familiar heavy-metal framework.
In live performances, Metallica has generally relied on the original sitar recording for the introduction. At the S&M concerts, Kirk Hammett used a Danelectro electric sitar for the opening before switching to his ESP guitar.