Little book of horrors

In 2014, Amuza Producciones released Silencio de Metal, a multimedia product consisting of a comic book accompanied by a CD. The story, written by Juan Antonio Torres, known as “El Torres,” was based on the music from the album created by the legendary Spanish synthpop group Azul y Negro. A year later, the same key figures reunited—though taking on different roles—to bring to life a more ambitious project: Little Book of Horrors. The team at Amuza remained in charge of coordinating the work; El Torres became the figure being honored, and Carlos Vaso (leader of Azul y Negro) handled the mastering. And the music? That’s where the project’s complexity truly reveals itself: Amuza gathered eleven different artists, musicians, and groups to contribute their own interpretations of various comics by Juan Antonio Torres, all united by a common genre—the eleven are horror stories.

Talking about horror stories, soundtracks, and electronic music immediately conjures the idea of a difficult, atonal, experimental, or otherwise unappealing record for the uninitiated listener. However, such preconceptions do not apply to Little Book of Horrors, since the musical personalities involved—barring a few exceptions—are far removed from the experimental realms of electronic music. Instead of altering their characteristic sounds to fit El Torres’ stories, each musician made the idea behind the panels their own, translating it into their personal style (or “comfort zone,” if one wishes to be critical), giving the album an unexpected eclecticism from the outset.

“The Veil”, by Carlos López (a member of Azul y Negro), is a powerful dance-electronic track that opens the album with energy; this line of melodic and vigorous electronic music continues with “Noche de Walpurgis” by Oculto (the pseudonym of Carlos Vaso) and “Roman Ritual,” although Cyborgdrive’s contribution is more restrained than usual compared to his other releases.

With “Eclipse of the Undead,” Neosynth opens the compilation’s door to trance, while Ibes Magora fuses electronic and cinematic structures in “The Conquest of Hearts,” beginning with an epic march that gradually descends into a more intimate passage before exploding in a spectacular electric guitar solo.

At the album’s midpoint comes the standout appearance of Destino Plutón, with a track (“1000 Veces”) of darker synthpop than usual for them, though produced with their trademark technical precision. For “Phantasmagoria,” Mist3fly cites Orbital and The Prodigy as main sources of inspiration to create “not a traditional soundtrack, but a sonic illustration.” After the Rain, with “Nancy in Hell,” add a big beat and trash touch in a track full of sound effects referencing the comic.

In the final third of the album, the pieces lean closer to the classic concept of a soundtrack. In “Aokigahara,” Die Stadt takes their unique ambient style toward oriental tones, while The Unknown structured “Drums” directly around the comic’s panels, as a film soundtrack follows a movie’s editing—each twist in the story is mirrored by a musical shift. As expected, percussion plays a leading role throughout the entire track.

Finally, the album closes with “Black Letters” by Raúl Gonzalo, a musician who has made a name for himself in the world of composition for audiovisual projects. With its cinematic conception and redemptive tone, his piece was the most fitting choice to conclude Little Book of Horrors. For although the album encompasses a wide musical eclecticism—and though it is based on comic stories—at its core, it remains a soundtrack.

Released in a limited edition of 450 copies, in a luxurious digipack format, numbered and signed by El Torres, it would not be surprising if Little Book of Horrors soon becomes a coveted collector’s item—not only for fans of El Torres but also for lovers of electronic music in general.