IGN, in giving the album 8.9 out of 10, said "the playing overall seems tighter and more cohesive" and that the album is a "grandiose project, one teeming with jubilant enthusiasm and reverent abundance." Other publications agreed, but viewed some of these same elements negatively. "Rolling Stone" reviewer David Fricke wrote that he was surprised such a large band could "sound so distant here so often," saying that "the result is a huge sound that only sparkles on the edges, leaving Butler alone in the middle." However, "Rolling Stone" also named it the fourth best album of the year. "Uncut"'s three-star review of the album said that "at its overblown worst "Neon Bible" is one of those records that takes itself too seriously to be taken seriously."