Overall, this album is a lot more progressive sounding than it might seem after a quick glance at the cover. Hints of Savatage, Dream Theater, and others can be heard throughout. But this is by no means simply a progressive rock album. There are many other styles which Harris weaves into this musical tapestry. Bits, pieces, and big old chunks of jazz, fusion, neo-classical, electronica, and classical guitar are all over this bad boy. And of course, when you get right down to it, the beat of a heavy metal heart is always present.

"Sketches" features one of the more aggressive acoustic performances I've heard in some time in the song titled, "Shibboleth." Other highlights include some neat electric classical guitar picking in "Madfingers," a seventies-ish groove piece called "Regroovination" which evokes some of Frank Marino's classic work, the interesting fusion of neo-classical and prog in "IdeoSymphony," and the epic "A Soul's Torment."

This disc should satisfy anyone who read my review of Chris Poland's "Chasing The Sun" and picked it up, but thought that it wasn't heavy enough for their tastes. At times, Sketches reminds me of Poland's excellent CD, but it has a dark and ominous presence that will appeal to a different crowd. At times I think it resembles what an instrumental Savatage album might sound like. In any event, "Sketches" is a diverse album that is definitely worth picking up.

Shred Pick - "Regroovination"