Since its release, Through Silver in Blood has been recognized not only as the band's critical and popular peak,[2] but as one of the sources of post-metal and as one of the best metal albums of all time.

"[6] In keeping with the band's progressively deeper experimentation into extreme metal, the album is notably slow, distorted, and heavy, drawing from influences such as Black Sabbath and Swans.

[10] Writing for Rolling Stone, Steve Smith called Through Silver in Blood Neurosis's "transformative masterpiece: a titanic mix of hardcore, industrial and sludge-metal notions and sampled soundbites, balancing oppressive heaviness, hypnotic repetition and surprising vulnerability.

Club writer J.J. Anselmi said, "Through Silver in Blood has played an undeniable role in defining post-metal, and its influence reverberates in the sounds of countless bands.

But this album inflicts levels of disorientation, fear, and hopelessness that few records have attained in the past 20 years, giving Through Silver in Blood a shelf life that has yet to glimpse an expiration date.