Sebastian Wahle of
Ox-Fanzine hailed
Versions as a creative breakthrough for Poison the Well and praised the band for making music for themselves instead of their fanbase. Rivadiva of AllMusic expected the album to be controversially received by fans, but nevertheless found it a "typically progressive" and "daring" release from the band.
Metal.de Norman Sickinger called it "a work of modern metal that's as raw as it is profound".
Spin Aaron Burgess praised the intensity and multifaceted nature of its songs, while Ronen Kaufman of
Alternative Press highlighted Lövström and Henricsson's production, which he called the best of Ferret Music's releases. Punknews.org Shultz said that whilst operating in their "standard, heavy groove", Poison the Well sounded "worlds more intense, honest, and convicted" than they had on their previous releases; he likened the album's presentation to the discography of
Hydra Head Records and
Cave In. Chris Harris of
MTV News felt that Poison the Well had "effectively launch[ed] a new sound" and were "surprisingly successful" in their attempts to combine heavy metal with country on
Versions.
Exclaim! Max Deneau considered its songwriting to be Poison the Well's strongest since their debut album
The Opposite of December...A Season of Separation (1999), and felt it successfully blended conflicting elements. Deneau felt Moriera's vocal range was limited but said he showed growth in other areas. Beringer of
AbsolutePunk praised Poison the Well's attention to detail with its songwriting, though he found some songs too similar and criticized its slow mid-section with the tracks "Pleading Post" and "Slow Good Morning". Miller of
Decibel found the experimentation of tracks like "Riverside" confusing, but was nevertheless content that Poison the Well's aggressive sound remained intact. Smit of
Chronicles of Chaos felt the album's instrumental experimentation faltered at points, such as on "Slow Good Morning", but highlighted its moments of "noir atmosphere". He further praised Poison the Well's take on post-hardcore, which he compared favorably to
Fugazi's sixth album
The Argument (2001). ==Track listing==