In Waves has received generally positive reviews, averaging a score of 66 based on 13 reviewers on the review-aggregating website
Metacritic. Eduardo Rivadavia of
AllMusic rated the album four out of five stars and commented, "...Trivium will probably be vilified once again for taking the same sort of creative backward step that the fans typically clamor for from
Metallica,
Slayer, and other bands on down; it's the essence of the Florida band's "can't win" lot in life, but there's always hope that this will change, in time". Another positive review came from Ian Winwood of
BBC Music, in his review, he stated, "...This may not be quite enough for Trivium to turn back the hands of the clock to the point where the world lay at their fretboards, but the notion that this is a band whose best days lie behind them is one that, at least for now, is resting on ice".
AltSounds also spoke positively about the album and even after stating "Trivium have not topped themselves" in reference to their past albums but did call it "...a symbol of triumph and overall a sound, beautifully solid record."
Revolver rated the album three out of five stars and summarized, "An inconsistent record with flashes of brilliance,
In Waves should, however, keep diehard Trivium fans happy." Despite mostly positive reception, the album was poorly received by Jamie Thomson from
The Guardian, who, in his review, stated that, "
In Waves is as overproduced and mercilessly polished as modern metal gets, and all the worse for it." ==Commercial performance==