The last time we heard from Sven Kühbauch, a.k.a. Svenson, was on his 2022
album Cycology, where he celebrated the fun of cycling, from building
strength, balance, and coordination to the pure satisfaction of crossing the
finish line. Since then, Sven’s been busy working on his next album, and
that’s exactly what we’re now diving into.
To truly appreciate 'Beauty & Envy', his new album, we have to start from
its title. It's a clear representation of a deep connection between the good
and the bad, where beauty, the good, stands for all the amazing, peaceful, and
inspiring things in the world, while envy, the bad, hints at the jealousy,
conflict, and destruction that can come from seeing that beauty.
This album is about the world itself in which both light and darkness coexist.
It also reveals how fragile this world can be and reminds us that everyone has
a part to play in keeping peace. All this is coming from Sven’s virtuoso
guitar performance and nine spectacular compositions.
Sound-wise, this album was recorded mainly with Sven’s Schecter Sun Valley
Super Shredder guitar using its special Sustainiac system on Peavey Revalver
software for guitar recording. Basically, all guitars, bass, keyboards and
electronic beats are played and programmed by Svenson himself, except the live
drums which in this album are played by Jake Naugle.
'Beauty & Envy' begins with a bang, as the very first track, 'On and On
and On and On', throws you straight into humanity’s endless cycle of mistakes,
wars, and disasters. The music is an intense mix of heavy, distorted lead
guitar and echoing ethereal vocals. Heavy on the beat and the bass, this song
brings a sort of nuclear paranoia and makes you imagine a constantly burning
post-apocalyptic wasteland. In the context of this album, it's quite an eerie
and terrifying start.
With this tense and chaotic entry, we move to the next track 'Thanks for the
curved screen'. Now, you might think this is a bit of a strange turn towards a
personal message shifting the focus inwards, compared to the previous world
annihilation imagery. But Svenson does this to address that even in the
darkest hour, he remembers a small, personal, almost hopeful moment of a gift
he received from his niece Melina, a simple yet thoughtful gift, a curved
screen monitor. Apart from that, from start to end, this track is just a
happy, soothing ride, driven by layers of Svenson's solo guitar performances.
Picking up the pace, we move into the title track 'Beauty & Envy', which
again hangs on intense emotions but delivers them through a calmer, more
melodic flow. The bass really stands out here, running steadily underneath the
sustained, soaring notes of the guitar, kind of giving the whole track a deep,
grounded feel. This song, however, is about how beautiful the Earth naturally
is, with its mountains, oceans, forests, and life, and at the same time, how
humans are damaging it through things like war, pollution, deforestation, and
climate change.
Next up in line, we have 'Grieving mother, tears of a father', which is a
gritty, more atmospheric track, leaning into that film soundtrack kind of
sound. Svenson's guitar continues to ring, bending and stretching the
distorted notes of pain and heartbreak. As the title suggests, this song is
for those parents who are left behind with the tragedy of losing their
children, especially because of war. It’s a tribute to that deep, almost
impossible-to-describe loss, sorrow, and helplessness. But, in the bigger
picture, once again, it shows the human cost of destruction, not just damage
to the Earth itself, but the way violence and war break human lives and
families too.
The narrative goes back to Svenson's personal life with the next track 'My
Spring is Gaia 2025' which is a love song for his wife Gaia, originally
written in 2008 and reimagined. The music here is a combination of strong
piano keys, a guitar solo and interesting chord progressions supported by a
unique rhythm pattern. It has more emotional input from a mind that cares and
loves his other half and finds a way to express feelings through this one of
his soothing compositions. Furthermore, in this album, you also have 'My
Spring is Gaia 2008', the eighth track, which is a much older iteration of the
same track with some major differences.
'Third Stone from the Sun' comes next, opening with glowing synth pads and
sharp, radiant bursts from the guitar, like sunlight breaking through the sky.
And yes, if the title sounds familiar, that's because it is a tribute to Jimi
Hendrix, with Svenson, in context to the album, mixing peace and destruction
themes. He uses a similar spirit to Hendrix’s love for dreamy, spacey tones
with chaotic energy. He plays it with a modern sound though, using his
Schecter Sun Valley guitar and Sustainiac system to create long, expressive
notes without needing super loud volume, like Hendrix would have used.
The seventh track in this album is 'Timeless', which interestingly only uses a
sped-up ticking clock sound as a sort of metronome and rhythm for Svenson to
layer his guitar riff and solo. It's a bonus track that acts like an
interlude, revised from his early career and is played like a spontaneous
thought. Even more, this track is basically a small part of early demos and
ideas that link to this album.
'Beauty & Envy' ends with 'OMG (funky shit)' feat. Swan Cuebeaux,
shaking off stress, forgetting the heavy stuff for a moment, and recharging
your energy by simply enjoying music, having fun, and feeling alive. Swan
here, is a blues and jazz guitarist who brings his own style, breaking that
tension. Not only that, but you have some funky brass elements with short,
tight and choppy guitar playing under a clean and sharp tone. It gets funky to
the point where everything feels percussive and is basically your regular
delightful, feel-good jam.