According to SoundScan numbers, The Bleeding is the fifth top-selling death metal LP in the United States, amassing over 98,300 copies sold.

Called "the essence of Cannibal Corpse," the music on The Bleeding is generally considered to be less extreme, more mature, and more accessible than on the band's prior releases.

[7][8] It is noted for its advanced musicianship and refined approach to songwriting as compared to its predecessors, and according to Metal Hammer, it "added brains to the blood and gore".

[9][10][11][12][13] According to drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, "This was the era where we started really refining our sound and it was the beginning of a more modern Cannibal style of writing.

"[14] Justin Norton of Decibel said, "While Butchered at Birth and Tomb were cudgel strikes, The Bleeding is more a methodical surgeon’s cut.

[19] Rich Hobson of Metal Hammer wrote that the addition of Rob Barrett on guitar "brought a tightness and precision to the Cannibal Corpse sound that had been conspicuous by its absence on their earlier albums".

[20] Founding guitarist Jack Owen believed the album to be "almost a commercial evolution in death metal songwriting".

"[22] In addition to the macabre and sexual violence themes present on the band's previous albums, the lyrical content on The Bleeding also explores psychological horror.

said, "Showing a confident sense of style, an indomitable momentum, and some of the band’s most iconic and memorable songs, this record is a declaration of the Cannibal Corpse we’ve all come to know and shed blood for in the past two-plus decades.

[33][34] Bassist Alex Webster said, "I feel that The Bleeding was a big step forward for me as a bass player, and as a band it put us on the same level as some of the other groups we thought were a little more professional-sounding than we were.