O TERÇO II

I remember quite clearly - it was 1970, I was just entering my teenager years and together with some cousins and friends (I was probably the younger then) I went to a Music Festival with several Brazilian stars and a bunch of new artists. It was then that I listened to for the very first time O TERÇO playing live and they really made the head of a 13 years old kid (me). I didn't know (and didn't care too) the style or genre of music they were gigging but I was sure that that MUSIC fitted completely my taste. So, when doing a review for any O TERÇO album my heart speaks as loud as my mind!

However, aside the fact that emotions flow accordingly "O Terco II" is truly a great output. Although released in 1972, the album contained songs they had presented since the previous year. Band line-up also changed when compared with their first album, with Cezar das Mercês replacing Jorge Amiden and keeping Sergio Hinds and Vinícius Cantuária from the original line-up - Hinds would later become a kind of O TERÇO's Robert Fripp or Dave Brock, being the band 'owner' with all other members gravitating around him. However, just like they did when at gigs they certainly counted with some guess musicians and in this case, even not informed, Sergio Magrão and Sergio Moreno (either to join O TERÇO later) and the replaced Amiden probably participated in the tracks' recording.

"O Terço II" presents a much more solid beat and a very professional production but the blend of symphonic and psychedelic sound, with beautiful pastoral passages, a clear influence of Mutantes, Moody Blues and early Pink Floyd stuff, observed in their first output gave room to a more hard and guitar- oriented sound, now more influenced by King Crimson or even Led Zeppelin and Sabbath.

'Deus', the opening track, starts with heavy guitar (for 70s standards) soon to be accompanied by keyboards and vocals, the brand mark of O TERÇO appearing with the three voices singing harmonically. Song theme is fine and could be better explored giving this song an extended length. Guitar solo is bluesy, a bit in the Jimmy Page style, and very catchy too. Song closure shows the grandeur of a typical prog-rock.

'Você aí', is funk-like and samba-like, the band informing musically that they never forgot their roots. Drumming beat is great and again guitar sounds hard, together with brass instruments, a novelty for the band records.

'Estrada vazia' starts with pleasant vocals, a real O TERÇO feat but soon Cantuária is doing a singing solo, a rare deed for the band. Instrumentation is soft a bit folk. Pitifully the song is short because once again the agreeable theme could be extended.

'Lagoa das Lontras' is a typical guitar oriented track with heavy drumming but the result is only average. The following 'Rock do Elvis' has a rockabilly touch and funny lyrics, but looks more like filler. These 2 songs are the weakest in the album even though they are reasonably audible.

'Amanhecer total', the final track, is the great album moment - in fact a collage of fine themes, lasting 19+ minutes. Intro is bucolic and nice, with noted female vocals (unfortunately, the singer name isn't informed) where a kind of Mutantes' Rita Lee vocals are emulated. The first section shows O TERÇO's characteristic vocals, synth tunes, acoustic guitars and percussion effects, which provide a fair atmosphere. Second section is very psychedelic with keyboard now supplying a series of effects that together with fading voices, send the hearer to a dreaming ambient, very floating, indeed. Next segment follow the album general rule with dominating guitar riffs and low-profile keyboards; the sometimes aggressive vocals are also noticeable. The final part starts with soft piano that resends the song to the original tunes, this time with synthesizer follies coloring the mantra-like chorus, where a rainbow sensation is intended with its continuous mutations solely to be the same. A grand finale for a good song and a good album.

This album, one of my preferred, is another landmark when talking about Brazilian prog-rock, however filler tracks are responsible to remove one star from the masterpiece podium but it is doubtlessly an excellent addition to any music collection. Final rating: 4.