A sitar opens Metallica's “Wherever I May Roam” on The Black Album.
The intro uses Asian-influenced sonics, including a gong and sitar, before the full heavy-metal arrangement enters. The unusual opening gives the song an immediately recognizable atmosphere and supports its theme of a restless, constantly traveling narrator.
The recording also features an overdubbed Warwick twelve-string bass for effect in the introduction. After that opening texture, a standard-tuned four-string bass supplies the main bass part through most of the song.
In live performances, Metallica has generally relied on the original sitar recording for the intro. During the S&M concerts, however, Kirk Hammett used a Danelectro electric sitar before switching to his ESP guitar. The song was released as the album's fourth single in October 1992.