Electric 5 drop an intense Metallica cover — and prove strings can shred
In partnership with MPT Agency
Yes, violins. Yes, Metallica. Yes, it absolutely slaps.
When Classical Meets Metal
Think classical music can’t get loud and powerful? You might be surprised. Electric 5, a Chicago-based all-female string quintet, just dropped a cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” — and it’s less your nan’s string quartet, more symphonic sledgehammer.
Armed with two cellos, three violins, and zero backing tracks, the group have reimagined the 1991 metal anthem with so much distortion and drama, it might leave Kirk Hammett himself blinking. It’s high-voltage, hair-raising, and refreshingly no-nonsense.
Pure Performance — No Backing Tracks
Unlike the usual crossover acts who lean heavily on pre-recorded stuff, Electric 5 are all about the live grind. Every note, harmony, and cello-chug is performed in real time. There’s no laptop backstage doing the heavy lifting — just five women, five string instruments, and an apparent disregard for the laws of physics.
Front and centre is founder Adia, an electric violinist whose wah-wah solos hit with the kind of grit you’d expect from a rock guitarist’s rig, and on this track, she basically eats the solo for breakfast.
Enter Sandman, Rewired
To say the band takes “Enter Sandman” to new territory would be an understatement. This is Metallica filtered through a Marshall stack made of Bach, Berghain, and bloodlust. And just when you think it’s all technique, the accompanying music video throws in some full-stage fury that feels more Glastonbury than graduation recital.
Electric 5 isn’t here to be your wedding background music (though, ironically, that’s how it all started). The band formed after a groom wanted a “cooler” version of a string ensemble. Cue original arrangements, ditched tracks, and the birth of a group that now sounds more Rammstein than Royal Albert Hall.
Each member brings an impressive musical background. There’s Kelsee Vandervall on cello, Ana Lei holding down the low end between tours, and violinists Zai K. and Carlysta Tran.
A Mic Drop Moment for Classical Rebels
Marketing stunt? No. Gimmick? Hardly. This cover is Electric 5’s debut statement—a musical mic drop for anyone who thinks classical musicians can’t rage.
Their message?Real instruments. Real musicians. Really loud.