"Pseudomembranous croup"—the encyclopedia's clinical term for the gray membrane that formed like wings in children's throats. I remember the illustrations of 19th century hospital wards, rows of small beds, so many empty. This melodic death metal piece channels the terrible beauty of a disease that primarily killed children, using soaring twin harmonies over brutal rhythms to capture innocence corrupted. The "strangling angel" isn't protection—it's an executioner wrapping gray wings around small throats, stealing voices before they could fully form.

The Strangling Angel

ReCoder