Reviews for the album were generally positive. Critics were especially warm towards the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith to the band compared to the previous two releases which featured Blaze Bayley on vocals. "Kerrang!" described it as "truly towering. Majestic. Bombastic. Titanic. So gloriously in-yer-face you can almost feel its hot breath up your nostrils." Sputnikmusic described it as "one of the band's top albums; alongside the likes of "Powerslave", "Somewhere in Time", and "Piece of Mind"" and "definitely the easiest album to get into since the band's glory days." "Classic Rock" stated that, while "it may not take too many strides forward," it "certainly succeeds in reeling back the years to Iron Maiden's heyday."