Critical reception to Relapse has been mostly positive. At Metacritic, the album was given a score of 68 out of 100 based on "generally favorable reviews". AllMusic reviewer David Jeffries called it "a harder and faster-than-usual album from the group, and yet there's also a heavier element of control throughout, as Jourgensen holds the reigns tighter, guiding this industrial-thrash monster down a speedy track without going over the edge".
