AllMusic said that the record "expands mightily on the promise and power of their debut, Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses", praising the band for using the effects from touring for their first album to "bring[s] forth an explosion of creativity" throughout the track listing, concluding that with "a set of songs this good it's hard to resist the thought that Atreyu's punishing work ethic may not be such a bad thing for their music.

"[2] A reviewer for Punknews.org gave praise to the band's improved vocal performances and the "sheer ferocity of their metal-tinged songs", but was critical of both the metal and non-metal tracks being "too distinct" and lacked the consistent balance of "metal and melody" they had in Suicide Notes, concluding that "Still, with that, this album is a must own for fans of the band and also for fans of the genre.

"[6] Kirk Miller, writing for Rolling Stone, said about the band's use of the metalcore genre, "On record, the results are more confused, with dual vocalists Alex Varkatzas and Brandon Saller occasionally canceling each other out.

But when the band sticks to melody and brings out the big arena-rock drums on songs such as "Right Side of the Bed," it creates true headbanging nirvana.

"[5] All tracks are written by AtreyuOn June 28, 2005, Victory Records re-released The Curse with a bonus DVD.