When Electric 5 plug in, sparks fly. The Chicago-based all-female electric string quintet has arrived with a debut that feels less like an introduction and more like a declaration of war. Their choice of weapon: Metallica’s immortal anthem “Enter Sandman.” Their rendition comes paired with a music video that has already racked up nearly 130,000 views on YouTube in just one month, a testament to the appetite for boundary-shattering artistry.
What makes their take so compelling is not just the novelty of strings in place of guitars. It’s the sheer force and conviction of the arrangement. Two cellos and three violins drive the track like a full-scale rock machine, with low-end grit and high-octane precision colliding in a storm of distortion.
Founder and violinist Adia is the undeniable firestarter, ripping through a wah-wah pedal solo so fiery it could be mistaken for a Gibson Les Paul, the guitar that shaped generations of rock, amplified by the unmistakable growl of Orange amps, long trusted by metal’s loudest players. Yet the sound comes from her custom five-string Mark Wood electric violin, crafted by one of the leading innovators of modern string instruments, merging the edge of a guitar with the heart of a violin.
Electric 5’s dedication to live performance is what sets them apart. Unlike many crossover ensembles that lean on pre-recorded tracks, this quintet builds everything from the ground up, layering parts meticulously by hand. That makes their performances pulse with raw electricity, every note anchored in real time. It’s music that breathes, sweats, and bleeds.
The video underscores this ethos. No gimmicks, no elaborate narratives, just five musicians in performance mode, dressed sharp and playing as though their instruments are weapons. The intensity is palpable, and it’s this commitment to showing exactly who they are that makes the clip resonate. For a debut, “Enter Sandman” does more than pay homage. It introduces Electric 5 as innovators who refuse to stay boxed into a genre or tradition. Their music occupies the space where virtuosity collides with rebellion, and that’s exactly what makes them impossible to ignore.