Christos Pappas

Jumbo records UK

Dark and mysterious…this album slowly hypnotises you into it’s funeral paced world…From the atmospheric Tenor and Alto Sax to the eerieness of Christos Pappas’s vocals this mournful, yet fresh story brings to mind the doomier side of the Doors and perhaps a more folky version of a deathly opera. Excellent stuff.

Sound On Sound Magazine UK Feb 2011

Christos Pappas describes his album as “a musical trip from Greece and the Balkans to the West”. Which, thankfully, doesn’t mean endless bouzouki solos over happy house beats; the blend of East and West is handled here with commendable subtlety and thought. Acoustic guitars “substitute the lute and bouzouki” but usually take a back seat to saxophone, clarinet, and Christos’ doleful baritone voice. The recording is mostly naturalistic rather than ‘produced’, leaving the heavy lifting to the playing and arrangements. Both are very nicely done, but to these Western ears the sound palette becomes a little samey over the course of an entire album, while said baritone is perhaps a little too heavy on the dolefulness, at the expense of other emotions. I realise that Labyrinth’s Path is a very personal project, but I think that the involvement of other musicians and, especially, singers would give it wider appeal without diluting its individuality. Sam Inglis

Alt sounds USA

Coral Caves is a band from Leeds fronted by Christos Pappas and The Labyrinth’s Path is their sophomore album. There is some serious deep, dark, progressive late 1960’s/early 1970’s folk going on here. The Labyrinth’s Path is a strange album; It’s difficult and depressing at times to sit down and listen to all the way through, but I do like it.

The first thing I noticed upon hearing the new Coral Caves is their strong King Crimson influence. I’m talking about the mellow, hazy, deep, dark, horn and string driven albums such as In the Wake of Poseidon and Islands. There is also a strong Pink Floyd influence here. I love the use of horns throughout the album and the gloomy, folksy guitar work is great too. The music reminds a bit of Leonard Cohen’s at times and the lyrics and vocals are dark and tortured and they tend to head a bit in the same direction as well. Christos Pappas’ vocals can be deep and disturbing when they want to be, but they leave something to be desired at times as I don’t think they quite pack the punch needed for this type of music. The range of musical influences on this album are diverse and Ancient Greek and Indian music play a huge role in The Labyrinth’s Path.

I have become addicted to the Coral Caves’ hazy, funereal, death folk. The Labyrinth’s Path is a very slow moving and laid back album. From the first track ’The Night Love Bleeds (Part 1)’ you know what you are getting into and that you are there for the long haul. The music has a way of building and subsiding like the tides. It is calming in a way, but can quickly grow tiresome and I think a little more variety in the pacing of the songs might have helped. By the middle of the album I found myself growing a bit bored and ever more depressed. The extremely lengthy final track is especially hard to digest. With that being said there are some great tracks on The Labyrinth’s Path such as ‘Ticking Away’ with it’s Pink Floyd-like dirge and ‘Black Curtains’ for it’s sheer, dark beauty.

The Labyrinth’s Path is a good listen, just don’t listen to it all in one sitting unless you’re serious about your gloom. Take it in a little at a time as it’s better that way – trust me.

I couldn’t find any music to post directly on here but I do have the link to their My Space page so go check it out as there are three songs up there. I highly recommend playing ‘Black Curtains’, then if you like what you hear, listen to the rest and if you want even more again, pick up the album. It’s well worth your time and money.

Interview with Protagon

Interview with Studloe FM 103