[1][2][3] In a review for AllMusic, Phil Freeman called Nilssen-Love "a genuinely sympathetic partner" for Brötzmann, and wrote: "This disc fascinates from beginning to end, and rewards both close listening and basking in its gale force winds.

"[1] The Guardian's John Fordham stated: "For anyone who witnessed the unrelenting earthquake of this pair's dialogues at the Vortex earlier in the year, Woodcuts will be an absorbing reminder, and there's a good deal of rough-hewn lyricism...

"[7] Writing for Dusted Magazine, Jason Bivins called the album "fantastic," and wrote: "The dry acoustic of this recording suits the texture of Nilssen-Love's drumming, which is crackling and woody like Roy Haynes crossed with Paul Lovens.

But this opinion isn't fair to the reeds master, and you can certainly hear the intricacy of his interactions in his subtle... inflections and alterations of line in response to the crackle and roll of the drummer.

"[8] A writer for All About Jazz praised the track titled "Ye Gods and Little Fishes," stating: "Brotzmann engages his partner's thumping brush patterns in a start-stop succession of rhythmic bursts before a switch to hummingbird sticks.