Peter Banks' Empire project failed to muster up a record deal despite the band's whole-hearted attempts during the early '70s, but 17 years later the One Way label showed interest in the music and decided to release the forgotten recordings. Produced by Banks himself, Mark III utilizes the adjuring voice of female Sydney Foxx and Brad Stephenson's disciplined bass playing to enhance Banks' jazz-rock guitar work. There are some occurrences of pure musical beauty found in both Banks' guitar craft and in Foxx's singing, but the songs themselves are rather common sounding, awakened occasionally through the depth of Paul Delph's keyboards. The emphasis of tracks such as "Ain't That Peculiar," "Faraway," and "Foundation" stems from the mainstream- sounding vocal/guitar collaborations rather than Banks' lone instrumental craft. When Banks' guitar playing does come to the forefront, the result is somewhat mild and anticlimactic, unlike his Yes work or his days with the progressive group Flash. Banks tries hard not to cloud over the vocals or the other instrumentation with his playing, but this gentlemanly regard for his group members restrains his expertise as well, and his craft falls short of its reputable potential. Even with "Dancing Man"'s Roxy Music-like elegance, Mark III's overall essence is quite pedestrian. Die-hard Peter Banks fans will want to add the album to their collections for a more complete catalog, but may find this piece's watered-down style disappointing.