Arden and the Wolves is an LA based alternative rock act. The name of the group comes from lead singer Arden Leigh. This EP was released last year, but is getting media attention now as a new video was just released for the second song on the set. All five songs on this are strong, but that tune, along with the opener and closer are the real winners here. This set leans toward epic metal at times, but also has plenty of dark modern rock and more in the mix. It's an effective release.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 5. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

 With a mellower opening section, this gets powered up to some seriously rocking stuff as it continues. The tone and mood of the piece is so cool. It earns a parental advisory for the lyrics. While the music on this works really well, the vocal arrangement is what really sells the tune.

A bit more of a mainstream alternative rock cut, this has a pop rock vibe to it. It's not as rocking as the first couple cuts, but it has some great hooks and a cool tone and style. It's not my favorite tune here, but that's more about the strength of the rest than any weakness to this number. There are some spoken bits as part of the atmosphere later in the track.

Energized, fast paced and catchy, there are some cool stylistic elements to this number. It's rocking, but also pop-rock oriented. It's another effective tune. The thing is, on some sets this would be highlight. The competition is steep enough here to make it fall a bit behind some of the rest. Still, the more powered up jam later manages to elevate things a bit.

Dramatic, harder rocking modes are on display here. This is more of a powerhouse number with a bit of an epic metal edge to it. It's a killer rocker in a lot of ways. Yet, it manages to get into catchier zones with the soaring chorus movement.