Melana Chasmata was met with universal acclaim by both critics and band fans. Writing for All About the Rock, Rich Dodgin said: "The music of
Melana Chasmata combines heaviness and gothic sensibility to create a fantastically nightmarish soundscape, and if you're a fan of dark ambient music you will love this".
MetalSucks also praised the album, giving it five stars out of five. It also scored a perfect five out of five on MetalUnderground.com, whose reviewer, Oliver Hynes, stated that "
Melana Chasmata is more than just a metal album... It's art".
Exclaim! was also positive about the album and rated it an 8 out of 10, calling it "an impressive continuation of Tom G. Warrior's often-mighty lineage, addressing each and every one of his strengths while offering something new for those unaware of the history embedded in every note".
Pitchfork Media were slightly less impressed with the album and gave it a 7.7 out of 10, with reviewer Andy O'Connor stating: "
Melana Chasmata is the follow-up [to
Eparistera Daimones], and while it retains much of the strength of its predecessor, it doesn't quite feel like the triumph Triptykon's debut did".
Melana Chasmata was placed as number two on
Rolling Stone's 20 Best Metal Albums of 2014. It was voted as "Album of the Year 2014" by the editorial staff of Dutch webzine Lords of Metal. == Commercial performance ==