The band originally formed in Puerto Rico as a progressive rock combo, in 1991, under the name Whisker Biscuit. In 1992, the band added vocalist Sergio Curbelo and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where they created a mix of salsa and heavy metal with the assistance of Jeff Renza and the Noiz Boiz production studio. They adopted the name Puya in 1994, which is Spanish for sharp point", but is also a popular type of Puerto Rican coffee. Puya was the first Puerto Rican rock band to achieve a high level of international success. In 1995, Puya released their self-titled debut album under the Noiz Boiz label, but did not sign with the label. There they also met producer Gustavo Santaolalla who signed them to MCA and in 1999 released their second album, 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, their song "Tírale" was included in the soundtrack of the movie Heavy Metal 2000, and was the collection's only track with Spanish lyrics. The band opened for Sepultura, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pantera and KISS. They also recorded a cover of The Police's "Spirits in the Material World" in Spanish, with the title "Almas en un mundo material". Because sales of the band's 2001 album Union did not meet MCA's expectations, the label did not renew the band's contract after it had expired in 2002. Puya reunited in 2009 for two music festivals in Puerto Rico and released the digital EP Areyto on iTunes on August 27, 2010. Puya's most recent performance was on February 8, 2014 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In November 2014 Puya anticipate their participation in the festival: Patria Grande that will take place in Cuba In addition, prior to this event, the band also announced a tour in the United States starting September 2014. In 2019, Sergio Curbelo left the band. New vocalist, Diego Romero of Trujillo Alto, will replace him as the band works on their upcoming 5th album. On June 4, 2020, the band announced Curbelo would return as lead singer.
Musical style and influences
Influenced by Pantera, Rush, Fania All-Stars, Fishbone, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Van Halen and Sepultura, Puya's music draws from diverse styles, including salsa, Cuban rumba, bomba, alternative rock, hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal, jazz and progressive rock. Additionally, some of Puya's songs have also incorporated rapping. The band's music has been categorized as alternative rock, hardcore, hard rock, heavy metal, Latin metal, progressive metal and rock en español. Though sometimes categorized as nu metal, this is contested by Latin Music: Musicians, Genres, and Themes, which says that Puya is not a part of this genre and has its own style of music.
