 Most critics however did not give "The Black Market" as good of a score, but were generally positive in their opinions.AllMusic's Gregory Heaney noted that although it may not be Rise Against's best album, it was its most timeless album, and commended the more universal lyrics.Ryan Bray of "Consequence of Sound" described "The Black Market" as a "healthy, mixed bag", while Andy Biddulph of "Rock Sound" wrote ""The Black Market" falls into the unfortunate category of being a good album by a great band."