A few critics considered the album not as inspired as the band's previous work. Kyle Anderson of "Spin" wrote that "two-thirds of these tracks sound a lot like songs Grohl has done before", considering that album's strengths came from "the handful of songs that deviate from the wallop'n'wail template". Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine also felt the rock songs were not as remarkable "compared to the almost effortlessly engaging melodies of the softer songs", ultimately describing "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" as "just another Foo Fighters album instead of the consolidation of strengths that it was intended to be". Pitchfork's Adam Moerder considered that the album "feels like a retread" and that the band was "sounding less and less relatable", with ineffective acoustic tracks and rock songs that "sound cold and detached compared to heart-wrenching Foo pop gems like 'Big Me' or 'Everlong'". While Sputnikmusic reviewer John Hanson was acceptive of the rock songs, where he felt "the boys are most comfortable," he considered that the songwriting "has just become stale" and ultimately described "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" as "extremely boring and uninspired". PopMatters' Josh Timmermann was very critical of the overtly serious tone of the record compared to the lighthearted work the band had done before, joking that the title of "Cheer Up, Boys" "sounds like the suggestion of a concerned fan for a band he or she used to actually care about."