"On Mark Lanegan's 10th solo album, his leather voice and slow-burning songwriting play up the pulp and noir that's been with him his entire career ... Perhaps Lanegan wasn't conscious of the message he was sending, but like a gargoyle making faces to fend off intrusion, Lanegan all too often prevents the audience from seeing the artist that lives behind his dour exterior. Gargoyle is most engaging when it invites glimpses, however fleeting".