[9][5] It was characterised by reviewers as melding Health's previous noise rock with greater elements of melody and pop music-esque composition.

[18][15] Pitchfork's T. Cole Rachel called it a "bold, albeit occasionally jarring, step forward", saying that the more vulnerable tone in tracks like "Life" was "exhilarating and perverse".

[10] AllMusic's Heather Phares praised the album, but noted that fans of the band's earlier work could be "disappointed by the preponderance of hooks and emotion".

[11] Reviewer Adam Kivel of Consequence of Sound described the album as having a "sleeker focus" but the percussion as "sapped of strength and energy".

[9] In a more negative review by The Observer, Paul Mardles wrote that Death Magic was "dated" and "attention-seeking" and called Health "eternal sixth-formers – disgruntled and as if unsure what it is they want to say".