Puya (band)

Puya
Puya in Puerto Rico in 2010. From left to right: Harold Hopkins, Ed Paniagua, Sergio Curbelo and Ramon Ortiz.
Background information
Also known as	Whisker Biscuit
Origin	Puerto Rico
Genres	Progressive metal
Years active	1991–2005, 2009–present
Associated acts	Ankla, Yeva
Website	puyaonline.com

Puya is a Puerto Rican progressive metal band. Formed in 1991, the band rose to prominence with their fusion of salsa and heavy metal.

Since 1995, Puya has released three studio albums, one extended play and one live album.

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.