Reviewing the demo version of "Time of Rebirth" on "BigO", Ivan Thomasz called it "a timely way-station on the journey of life", while critic Paul Zach praised the official album as being "so achingly, subtly gorgeous, it defies categorisation". Despite not receiving any airplay from local radio stations, 800 copies of the "Time of Rebirth" demo were sold, with the official album being picked up by Universal Music SIngapore for distribution, selling out its first run of 2,000 copies. Nominating "Time of Rebirth" as the Best Album of 2004, Razali Abdullah of "Today" called it "a groundbreaking album so ethereally beautiful...a local band as good as Observatory comes by once a millennium." Reviewing the album in "The Straits Times", Yeow Kai Chai wrote that "The Observatory invoke otherworldly beauty through a blend of electric gadgetry and classic instrumentation…gradually laying bare their emotional core while taking your breath away", while Chris Ho praised "Time of Rebirth" for being "ender and beautiful in its intimacy".