Guidance was met with critical acclaim. The album received an average score of 81/100 from 15 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[2]AllMusic writer Paul Simpson praised the album's combination of heavy music and melodic ambience, saying, "Rough and explosive yet perfectly controlled, Guidance is yet another powerful statement from the heavy instrumental rock behemoths."[3] Writing for Exclaim!, Trystan MacDonald hailed the album as "another prophetic portrait conjuring apocalyptic dimensions in the minds of those who listen".[6] Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian wrote that "doom has never sounded so good."[7] Jason Heller of Pitchfork said, "There's an organic and unforced feel to the latest album by Chicago-based post-rock trio Russian Circles, as if songs were allowed to grow wild rather than carefully cultivated."[9] Brice Ezell of PopMatters wrote a slightly less glowing review, saying that the album occasionally stumbles, but that "when [it] hits, it hits hard."[10]