Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called the album Reznor's "strongest, weirdest and most complex record since The Downward Spiral", and concluded that "he's got his bravado back." Rolling Stone ranked it at number 21 on its "Top 50 Albums of 2007" list.
Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield praised Reznor's album as his most daring, innovative, and intricate effort since The Downward Spiral, and observed that he had regained his swagger. Rolling Stone ranked it at number 21 on its list of the top 50 albums of 2007.