Critical reception to the Probot album was largely positive with few recurring complaints;
Metacritic shows a 72/100 critic rating based on 21 reviews.
Rolling Stone declared it as "the year's first great metal album," while
Blender reported, "Unlike similar records... this has a unity of aesthetic purpose, a competitive wallop, even (kind of) a seriousness." David Browne of
Entertainment Weekly gave
Probot a B− rating. He notes, "For a lark, it aims for (and hits) a few bull's-eyes, including the whiplashing 'The Emerald Law' and the
post-apocalyptic death march 'Ice Cold Man'." However, Browne comments how the mystery and thrill of vintage metal bands is "largely gone" with many lyrics on
Probot sounding "more amusing than menacing" and even "unintentionally funny." He sums it up as "lying somewhere between homage and howler."
Probot earned an A rating in
Stylus magazine as well as the title of StylusMagazine.com's Album of the Week for February 8–14, 2004. Scott McKeating's extensive review describes how "Probot balances the grit with the sonic polish without lapsing into
Metallica's
Metallica. This is metal that demands banging, shaking and stamping." He commends the ambition of its overall conception, noting, "Very few [artists] go as far as Grohl and actually create something vital and new in their mid-thirties from their teenage obsessions. . .
Probot is an inspirational record in every sense." Adrien Begrand of
PopMatters describes it as "One of the coolest ideas for an album in a long time, Grohl has put together a record that not only serves as a sincere tribute to the metal and hardcore bands of his youth, but features all his favorite vocalists as well." He gave a favorable review but heavily discussed Grohl's guitar skills and songwriting as lacking: "The biggest problem on the album is Grohl's complete lack of inventiveness as a guitar player. . . Had Dave Grohl used more guest musicians instead of trying to do everything himself,
Probot would have been much better." Despite these criticisms, Begrand considers it "impossible not to like this album, mistakes and all." Awarding a 4/5 rating,
Allmusic's Alex Henderson emphasizes the wide variety of genres featured on
Probot and adds, "Whatever the style of metal that he is embracing, Grohl's drumming is passionate throughout this fine album, which is as rewarding as it is unpredictable." =="Shake Your Blood"==