A sitar joins a gong in the unusual intro to Metallica's “Wherever I May Roam.”
The song was released in October 1992 as the fourth single from The Black Album. Its opening stands out because Metallica adds Asian-influenced instrumentation instead of beginning with the band's usual guitar-centered attack. The intro features a gong, a sitar, and an overdubbed Warwick twelve-string bass.
The twelve-string bass was used for color and emphasis in the introduction rather than as the principal bass throughout the track. After the opening, a standard-tuned four-string bass carries the main bass part. The song's guitars and basses otherwise use standard tuning, another detail that distinguishes it from some of Metallica's lower-tuned material.
Live performances introduced an additional variation. During the S&M concerts, Kirk Hammett used a Danelectro electric sitar for the opening before switching to his ESP electric guitar. The band's original sitar recording remained central to the live arrangement, making “sitar” the precise instrument answer rather than the broader description of Asian instruments.