XI was considered a comeback for both Metal Church and Howe since the latter's hiatus from the music industry following the band's first breakup in 1996; the album received generally positive reviews, and was their first studio album since 1989's Blessing in Disguise to enter the Billboard 200 chart, where it peaked at number 57,[2] the band's highest chart position in their career.

This lineup subsequently recorded and released a new version of the song "Badlands" (from the band's 1989 debut album with Howe, Blessing in Disguise).

He added - "the biggest thing for us was being able to write, record and present an album of material that represented us and who we are today from beginning to end without any external pressures, timelines or anything like that, and that's exactly what we did.

[8] Metal Underground rated the album four stars out of five and called it "a must buy for long time and new fans of the band and should be placed on the mantle in the same light as Howe, Phase One.

"[15] AllMusic writer James Christopher Monger gave XI three-and-a-half out of five stars, and states that it "feels a bit more lived-in and immediate than 2013's so-so Generation Nothing."

Along with Amon Amarth, Suicidal Tendencies and Butcher Babies, they supported Megadeth on the latter's Dystopia arena tour in September–October 2016.