[7] Clash magazine reviewers Felicity Martin and Mike Diver found that Dead was Young Fathers' "rawest, most emotion-heavy work to date" while noting that it "needed to represent progression without completely distancing itself from what'd come before.

[9] In his review for Drowned in Sound, Sam Moore praised the album's diversity, stating that "if you're looking for a thoroughly twenty-first-century record that'll challenge your preconceptions and bombard the senses, then Dead is something that's definitely worth your while" before offering the opinion that "it's a work that inescapably demands a response, a reaction.

"[11] Reviewing Dead for Scottish magazine The List, David Pollock described it as "a record which redefines the boundaries of UK hip hop and Scotland's artistic landscape in one fell swoop.

"[13] Killian Fox, in his review for The Observer, noted that the band had "honour[ed] the Anticon sound while nudging it in more accessible directions" and stated that though "the balance between pop and experimentalism is very fine...Young Fathers strike it with exuberant ease.

"[14] PopMatters reviewer Nathan Stevens was similarly impressed, remarking that "if Dead proves anything it's that Young Fathers are one of the most versatile acts in hip-hop today" and describing the album as "a dizzying thrill".