Ptolemaea

The descent, and the moment the trap finally closes. Named for the ring of betrayers, the song builds terror and captivity to a scream at the dead centre of the record, the point where the romance dies and the horror the album has been circling arrives in full.

It is the hardest passage to sit inside, and it is meant to be. Everything bright about the first half is repaid here, and the songs after it are the aftermath of this one.