However, some reviews viewed that similarity as positive, and perceived it more as progression and evolution than repetition. "Stylus Magazine" repeated similar sentiments as those of the previous reviews, but did not feel that re-using a successful formula was a burden, Cosmo Lee saying "it's not Isis' fault that they sound unoriginal these days. All you have to do is pick up a copy of "Decibel", open it to any page, and you’ll find someone counting the group as an influence [...] The songs are still long, the rhythms are still organic, and in general Isis still sounds like Isis". Despite having said this, the review is still very positive. "PopMatters" repeated the views of Lee, stating Isis are "a band knowing how to execute the formula to near-perfection", and Thom Jurek of Allmusic expanded upon that point further, stating "this set is not a brave leap [...] but a further look up the holy mountain to a new plateau, a hike to sacred ground". "Drowned in Sound" reviewer Mike Diver, however, viewed the album differently; that Isis have "pushed themselves on this album, striving to achieve something honestly different to what was released before it". An IGN review described it as "unique and free from boundaries", and it has been labeled as "Isis' masterpiece", as well as their "most compelling work to date". Writing for "Alternative Press", Aaron Burgess states that "save for the brief distorted squalls of "Garden of Light" and the pummeling metallic grooves of "Not In Rivers, But In Drops," there's barely anything keeping Isis tethered to the rigid "post-metal" genre they helped inspire".