"Rolling Stone"s David Fricke said "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" reminded him of "...And Justice for All" and "Metallica", having the "jagged apocalypse" of the first and the "focused brawn" of the second.Greg Kot of "The Chicago Tribune" opined that "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" was not comparable to Metallica's finest work, and predicted the album will be quickly forgotten as its promotional tour is done.