O Terço are one of the founding bands of Brazilian progressive rock — pioneers who fused prog with the rich melodies of Brazilian popular music. Formed in 1968 and anchored throughout by guitarist Sérgio Hinds, they reached their peak in the mid-1970s with a sound that married symphonic prog to the warmth of MPB and Brazilian folk. Their 1975 album “Criaturas da Noite” is widely regarded as Brazil’s first classic prog record.

The short version

O Terço are a Brazilian band, formed in Rio de Janeiro in 1968 and led throughout by guitarist Sérgio Hinds. Their music blends progressive rock with MPB (Brazilian popular music) and folk, full of melody, vocal harmony and a distinctly Brazilian warmth — with echoes of Yes, Genesis and Italian prog. The three albums here are their celebrated mid-to-late 1970s run, centred on their 1975 masterpiece “Criaturas da Noite.”

Brazil’s prog pioneers

O Terço — whose name means ‘the rosary’ in Portuguese — grew out of a 1968 Rio band called Os Libertos, founded by guitarist Sérgio Hinds with bassist Cezar de Mercês and drummer Vinícius Cantuária (later a celebrated solo artist). Their early albums moved from psychedelic hard rock toward prog, drawing on the Moody Blues, Pink Floyd and King Crimson. But it was the arrival of keyboardist Flávio Venturini in 1972 that transformed them, paving the way for the classic line-up and the masterpiece to come.

Prog meets MPB

What sets O Terço apart is their fusion of progressive rock with Brazilian music. Alongside the symphonic grandeur of organ, synth and soaring guitar, you hear the melodic warmth of MPB — the world of Milton Nascimento and Tom Jobim — plus folk textures and rich vocal harmonies, often in falsetto. Italian prog bands like PFM and the symphonic sweep of Yes and Genesis shaped their sound, but the Brazilian heart is unmistakably their own, lending their best work a melody and emotion few prog bands matched.

If this is your scene, the books go deeper →

The masterpiece

“Criaturas da Noite” (1975) is O Terço’s defining achievement and a landmark of Brazilian prog. With the classic line-up finally settled — Hinds, Venturini, bassist Sérgio Magrão and drummer Luiz Moreno — and orchestral arrangements by maestro Rogério Duprat, it sold half a million copies and gave Brazil its first classic prog album. It contains the hit ‘Hey Amigo’ and the towering twelve-minute instrumental ‘1974,’ often called the finest Brazilian prog track ever recorded. “Casa Encantada” (1976) continued the run before the line-up began to change.

Album by album

O Terço’s classic 1970s albums, in order. Tap any title to explore.

The players

O Terço have always centred on Sérgio Hinds — guitarist, founder and the one constant across more than fifty years and every line-up. The classic mid-1970s band added the gifted keyboardist and singer Flávio Venturini, bassist Sérgio Magrão and drummer Luiz Moreno. Venturini and Magrão later left to form the successful band 14 Bis, while founding drummer Vinícius Cantuária became a renowned international artist. Sadly, drummer Luiz Moreno died in 2002. Hinds continues to lead O Terço on stage to this day.

Where to start

Start with “Criaturas da Noite” (1975) — there is no better introduction to Brazilian prog, and its closing instrumental ‘1974’ is essential listening. From there, “Casa Encantada” (1976) offers more of the classic line-up’s blend of prog and Brazilian melody. Together they capture a band at the height of their powers, sounding like no one else in prog.

Why they still matter

O Terço matter as the band that gave Brazilian progressive rock its first true classic — proof that prog could absorb the melody and soul of Brazilian music and become something new. They opened the door for a whole scene of Brazilian prog, and launched the careers of artists like Flávio Venturini and Vinícius Cantuária. Decades on, ‘Criaturas da Noite’ remains a cherished landmark, and Sérgio Hinds still carries the flame. For anyone exploring prog beyond Europe and America, O Terço are essential.

Browse the bookshelf in the footer →