Perpetual Burn

Perpetual Burn
Studio album by Jason Becker
Released	August 1988 (1988-08)
Recorded	1988
Studio	Prairie Sun Recording Studios in Cotati, California
Genre	Neoclassical metal, instrumental rock
Length	42:01 [1]
Label	Shrapnel
Producer	Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, Steve Fontano, Mike Varney
Jason Becker chronology
Perpetual Burn (1988) Perspective (1996)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	6/10 [3]
Kerrang!	[4]
Rock Hard	7.0/10 [5]

Perpetual Burn is the first studio album by the American guitarist Jason Becker. ^[6] It was released in 1988 through Shrapnel Records (United States) and Roadrunner Records (Europe).

The album was released at around the same time as Dragon's Kiss , the first album by his fellow Cacophony guitarist Marty Friedman, who also co-produced and performed on Perpetual Burn.

This is the only solo album Becker released before his diagnosis with ALS in 1989.

Music

The track "Air" is played almost entirely with clean guitar tones. The track makes use of fingerprinting and counterpoint. It has drawn comparisons to Bach. ^[7]

Track listing

All music is composed by Jason Becker, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Altitudes"	5:40
2.	"Perpetual Burn"	3:30
3.	"Mabel's Fatal Fable"	4:52
4.	"Air"	5:39

Side two

No.	Title	Length
5.	"Temple of the Absurd" (Becker, Marty Friedman)	4:42
6.	"Eleven Blue Egyptians" (Becker, Friedman)	5:44
7.	"Dweller in the Cellar"	6:15
8.	"Opus Pocus"	5:39
Total length:		42:01

Personnel

Musicians

• Jason Becker – lead and rhythm guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, producer
• Marty Friedman – additional guitar solos (tracks 5–7), co-producer
• Atma Anur – drums

Production

• Steve Fontano – co-producer, engineer, mixing
• Joe Marquez – assistant engineer
• George Horn – mastering at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California
• Mike Varney – executive producer

References

1. Perpetual Burn (CD edition "RR 9528 2").
2. Hinds, Andy. "Jason Becker - Perpetual Burn review". AllMusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
3. Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 40. ISBN   978-1894959315.
4. Oliver, Derek (July 30, 1988). "Reviews: JASON BECKER - Perpetual Burn". Kerrang! . No. 198. p. 19.
5. Kupfer, Thomas (1988). "Review Album: Jason Becker - Perpetual Burn". Rock Hard (in German). No. 28. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
6. Prown, Peter (2023). Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars: The Guitarists Who Rocked the World. Motorbooks. p. 124.
7. Perpetual Burn - Jason Becker | Album | AllMusic , retrieved January 28, 2026

External links

• In Review: Jason Becker "Perpetual Burn" at Guitar Nine Records