Riff Diary #6: When the Guitar Sings: Maroon 5’s Animals in a Metal Dress

When Vocals Become Lead Guitar

The whole cover stands on a simple idea: the main vocal line played as a lead guitar part. That meant staying close to the original melody so listeners would immediately recognize it – yet I couldn’t resist adding a few of my own ornaments and licks.

The result? The guitar doesn’t just imitate the voice – it sings in its own way, sometimes even more intensely than the original vocal.

A Heavy Tone for a Pop Melody

You might think that a pop song deserves a clean or gentle guitar sound. But I went the opposite way: a heavy, distorted, metal tone – just like I always do. Surprisingly, the contrast worked beautifully. The catchy pop melody suddenly wore a sharper, more aggressive coat, while still keeping its recognizable character.

A Smooth Process

Maybe I should say how difficult this was… but honestly, it wasn’t. 😅 Playing that vocal line on guitar felt natural, almost effortless. Everything sat nicely under my fingers, so instead of fighting with technique, I could focus on expression and feel.

What Came Out of It?

This cover isn’t just about showing that the guitar can "sing" a vocal line. For me, it had two goals:

For Maroon 5 fans, to hear a familiar song in a completely different way.

For metalheads, to see that even a pop hit can inspire you to write more melodic guitar lines in your own style.

Conclusion

My cover of Animals became a little bridge between worlds. It proves that even if you’re a metalhead, you can take something completely outside your genre – and use it to push your own playing forward.

Because in the end, it doesn’t matter where the melody comes from. What matters is how you let it speak through your instrument.