NARROW-CASTER

"Narrow-Caster" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US progressive rock act 3rDegree and the first album by the band since "Human Interest Story (1996)" (the band broke up in 1997 and it wasn´t until 2005 that they got back together). "Narrow-Caster" was independently released and is available through various internet music retailers.

3rDegree play a pop oriented and catchy progressive rock style on "Narrow-Caster". The tracks are all between 3 and 5 minutes long and vers/chorus structured with an emphasis on memorable choruses. The sound production is polished and clean and suits the music well. The band are very well playing and it´s obvious that these guys aren´t new to playing and writing music. The vocals by George Dobbs are strong and often layered with harmony vocals which remind me slightly of King´s X. Other than that I´d say Rush and maybe Spock´s Beard at their most pop oriented are references too.

"Narrow-Caster" is neither the most progressive nor the most revolutionizing album out there, but it´s a damn solid release that I´m sure will please fans of more pop oriented and accessible progressive rock. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.