[7] The Washington Post wrote that singer John Wahl's "high (and erratically) pitched vocals and Christopher Bagarozzi's guitar-hero fretwork may recall Led Zep, but the band's rhythms and sense of structure owe more to Captain Beefheart.

"[13] Westword opined that the songs "may sometimes seem quizzical—'Blind Pig' is the weirdest imaginable ZZ Top imitation, while 'Olfactory Blues/Nosehair' resembles a bizarre marriage of Frank Zappa and, well, Foghat—but they're never, never boring.

"[14] CMJ New Music Monthly declared that, "problem is, these guys seem a little too proficient on their instruments, enamored of severe (and frequent) tempo changes for the sake of keeping themselves interested.

"[16] AllMusic wrote: "In sum, think of Funhouse-era Stooges with a few more instruments and slightly quiet moments, almost as good a vocalist and crisp production, and there's Holder Uppers in a nutshell.

"[8] In another retrospective review, Spin deemed the album "a totally unmarketable combo of cartoonishly venomous wails, chainsaw riffs, and harmonica solos.