"[10] Giving the album a 4.2 review by The Christian Beat, Chris Major writes, "While contrasting to much of Nine Lashes' previous work, Ascend is a bold, diverse collection indicating an exciting future for the band.

"[3] Assigning the album a three and a half star review at CM Addict, Andrew Funderburk says, "[this] is a good release, but feels like a [hodgepodge] of different mixes thrown together.

"[1] Allocating the album a 71 out of 100 review from Jesus Wired, says, "[he] can only hope that they stay true to their message and give fans (both old and new) a record worth holding on to in future.

"[8] Sarah Berdon, signaling in a two and a half star review from Jesus Freak Hideout, states, "Fans who have been following Nine Lashes from the beginning will most likely be disappointed by this addition.

"[6] David Craft, rating the album three and a half stars for Jesus Freak Hideout, describes, "Within its genre, it's actually quite fantastic and listenable, which helps raise the bar for the rest of CCM.