Puya
Fundamental

Well, these Puya are original. They hail from Puerto Rico and offer us hardcore that is at times heavy but with rhythms ranging from salsa and merengue to funk. "Fundamental" is the second album from the quartet active since 1988, originally known as Whisker Biscuit, and from my point of view, it is the most complete album.

Another peculiarity of Puya is certainly the use of so-called "Spanglish," that is, the language derived from Spanish "bastardized" with English and used in many areas of Central and South America.

Typical HC outbursts are not lacking, nor are the bizarre percussive elements of singer Sergio Curbelo, which enhance an album composed of tracks that are certainly catchy and almost danceable, and others more in a typically HC style, maybe more banal but always enjoyable. The album in question is from 1999, and it was precisely at the end of the '90s that Puya made themselves known to the public by opening concerts for Kiss, Sepultura, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slipknot... but they could have easily supported Kreator or Mad Caddies, and by selecting just part of their repertoire, also Obituary or Raul Casadei and his orchestra.

The opening track "Oasis" already drums us between a sugary verse that repeats itself by changing language and a very 'cazzudos' heavy chorus, and it's a good omen for the contaminations that will come with the second piece that I dedicate to all the hidden DeBaserians: "Fake", where the trumpets dominate. The title track and the following "Montate" offer a near-growl vocal that mixed with the numerous brass instruments, however, leads us to a slow intermezzo of a folk festival. The mix of sounds and genres doesn't stop, and so "Retro" starts out as a sentimental ballad only to give us violent choruses, "Keep It Simple" offers vocal parts somewhere between Hed-Planet-Earth and hip hop complete with flute, I also mention "Whatever" with its slow and almost spoken progress, "Sal Pa' Fuera" with thrash guitars and party choruses and the intoxicating rhythm of "Trinidad" that precedes the splendid "Solo", the latter song that transcends any categorization.

It continues like this, between a Latin ballroom rhythm and an acceleration hinting at Brazilian metal-core of Ratos De Porao, maneuvering between a heavy and syncopated verse and another where the brass intertwine with background bongos and you can hear the influences of Carlos Santana.

Not recommended for purists of a particular genre, from my point of view "Fundamental" is a 4.5 album as some passages are perhaps too forced, but I gladly give it a full 5 for the combination of styles and the courage to propose a musical blend hardly categorizable in less than 7 words.