Puya

Puya – a latin-influenced rapcore band from San Juan, Puerto Rico – was formed in 1988 originally with the name Whisker Biscuit by guitarist Ramón Ortíz (formerly with Mattador) together with bassist Harold Hopkins and drummer Eduardo Paniagua. Originally they devoted themselves to playing instrumental songs, and then covers in the San Juan music scene.

In the early 90s, vocalist Sergio Curbelo joined the band and they changed their name to Puya. The band also relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and polished their sound. In 1996, they released their eponymous debut album.

There they also met producer Gustavo Santaolalla who signed them to MCA and they released their second album titled Fundamental which received critical praise. This propelled the band to stardom even landing them in the second stage of Ozzfest where they shared the opening slot with Slipknot in 1999.

In 2000, one of their songs ("Tírale"), was included in the soundtrack of the movie Heavy Metal 2000, the only track with lyrics in Spanish from the collection. Established in the nu metal scene, they opened for such bands as Sepultura, Red Hot Chili Peppers and KISS. They also recorded a cover song - using their particular style - of The Police's "Spirits in the Material World" in Spanish. The song was titled "Almas en un mundo material".

In 2001, the band released their second album with MCA titled Unión. The album was not received as well as their previous two, and some of the members were already working in other projects. The band then faded from the musical scene.