Estonian musical wunderkind Maksim Adel, better known to the electronic scene as Bisweed, is gracing us with a glimpse into his imagination with the epic and cohesive release of Volumes 1 and 2 of his "Steampunk" saga, easily his most accomplished work to date and his third release for Paradise Lost. Each track is written as a part of a theme or story about a distopian (or utopian, it's debatable) future or parallel world. Industrial, yet subtle and melodic, Bisweed's complex, unique and highly detailed musical tapestries encompass microcosms, and they move and inspire us.

Here's how the Steampunk story goes: "A certain cataclysm has taken place on Earth - the planetary magnetic fields are shifting and the aurora borealis are not just a polar phenomenon anymore, but light up skies all over the world. Cultural paradigms have changed, governments have fallen, economies collapsed. Planetary resources are nearly depleted. The people of this world lead different lives - technology has advanced, but not for everyone, most rely on steam engines to produce electricity. The planetary surface is so heavily polluted that most humans have moved underground while the "elite" has migrated to enormous islands floating in the sky. Scavengers roam the planetary surface wearing gas masks and exoskeletons, searching for treasure. Abandoned, disused robots skulk about. The most convenient way to travel is by airship. While the subsurface dwellers go about their daily struggle, future uncertain, the sky island factions up above are developing new technologies to actively search for alternatives to Earth. Investigation and exploration of outer space is civic priority #1."