Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars and said: "The Idler Wheel... is a challenging album.

In addition, Johnson wrote that "with just enough indie creativity to keep things interesting, A New Abolition was one of the most challenging and satisfying albums of 2008."

In the music the amount of distortion and feedback became painfully dominant, making luft maybe the most challenging album to listen to.

Rolling Stone magazine called the album "both challenging and satisfying".

Reed praised the diversity shown by the group, ultimately calling it "one of the most challenging, and rewarding albums of the year".

Domingo, was Reyna's most challenging album to date.

PopMatters wrote, "A true marvel, this challenging but ultimately highly rewarding album is an example of a young band just discovering what it's capable of.

All-Music Guide awarded the CD four stars and wrote that the CD is "a wonderful, accessible, and yet challenging album from one of new music's brightest lights."

Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic described Shogun as "Trivium's most challenging and ambitious album yet."

Far from the disloyal bunch they're constantly portrayed as, music fans proved their devotion to established styles and favorite artists, while a healthy number enthusiastically supported challenging albums.