Bernth

How an Austrian shred whiz took inspiration from his own popular weekly YouTube videos — and rabid fanbase — to complete his first album, a dazzling project four years in the making

- By Gregory Adams

Few guitarists are willing to scorch their fretboard like Bernth. As a longtime session shredder and YouTube guitar personality, the Austrian virtuoso naturally has a handle on warp-speed sweeps and tapping techniques, but when it came to promoting Elevation, his first instrumental solo album, one video upload found Bernth literally lighting up a prized Ibanez with a series of blowtorches to prove his point on the unwavering resilience of guitar music.