The sound of the album drew complimentary comparisons to Tool and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, being praised for its subtlety and gradual evolution of structure. However, some critical responses to the similarity with Tool were not so positive, with Joe Davenport arguing that ""In the Absence of Truth" plays out like some mediocre hybrid of Tool and "Panopticon"". Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork Media posits that "the set's so finely wound that on the first few listens it seemed like the steady diet of Tool had perhaps transformed Isis into an emaciated, innocuous version of their older selves". However, he continues to suggest that the album "just require close (and repeated) listening to initiate an unravelling". Tracks selected as stand-outs include "Not in Rivers, but in Drops", "Garden of Light", and "Dulcinea", specifically praising the climax of the piece. "Holy Tears" is labeled as revealing the "true, outward strength of Isis", and is selected as "a beacon of light in the darkness" in a generally scathing Delusions of Adequacy review.