The sound quality is really, really good on this one. Everything is extremely up-close. At times it seems the violins are slightly in the background, but I can overlook that. The only thing that bothers me is the echo effect on Efrim's vocals. I don't know if it's there as a stylistic choice or just to fill the room, but echo-filled vocals are just a personal pet peeve of mine. During the best moments, however, I can forget that.

The two new songs continue to amaze, especially "Metal Bird." That song staggers my mind, and this is the best version of it yet in this Archive. It defies everything we've come to expect from them. There's no buildup from silence to a climax, there are no tribal chants -- it just starts out with a bang and doesn't let up. ASMZ has spent years defying all other artists' sounds, and now it's as if they're trying to defy their own sound -- but in a good way. Simply amazing stuff.

The other new song, "There Is a Light," could be described as a more "traditional" sounding song, but that's not a bad thing at all. It continues in the tradition of pretty melodies and unusual (for this band) expressions of hope for the future that were previously explored in "BlindBlindBlind." It's a great set-closer.

The rest of the performances, in my opinion, are not quite as strong as they have been on other nights. For example, "1,000,000 Died to Make This Sound" is played a little too slowly here, as is the first part of "13 Blues For Thirteen Moons." I've heard other performances of these songs that I like much better.

I give this show 4 stars for the sound quality and the new songs.