 Tim Jones of "Record Collector" magazine found the album "an attempted simulacrum of heyday glories, laudable while not quite scaling the heights", remarking how "the trademark intricate interplay of strings, driving rhythm and golden harmonies is all present and correct" and "should please the faithful, without eclipsing more recent predecessors like "Somewhere to Elsewhere"".AllMusic's James Christopher Monger praised the album for being "something that sounds both familiar and forward thinking" and wrote that "the technically superb "The Prelude Implicit" - literally - hits all of the right notes and should please longtime fans, despite the absence of Walsh".Ultimate Guitar staff enjoyed the balance between hard rock, AOR and prog rock of the new songs, signaling in particular "the album's grand, epic piece" "The Voyage of Eight Eighteen", which "could have been written in the same sessions that produced tracks like 'Song for America' and 'Magnum Opus'."