Ágætis byrjun
Sash Geffen of "Consequence of Sound" gave a positive review of the album, but noted its lack of emotionally driven creativity in comparison to earlier Sigur Rós albums like "Ágætis byrjun" and "( )". She wrote, "While energized, "Kveikur" doesn't break away from Sigur Rós' safe spots. Those who have followed the band down the same trails for years will happily be able to do so again. But those who are still hungry for the thickets of "Ágætis byrjun" or the haunted tundra of "Von" won't find many new landmarks here. This is a dark, warm, safe space for Sigur Rós and their devotees. Don't expect to lose your way." "Pitchfork" also noted but excused this, praising the album for standing on its own: "Even if it doesn't have the same cultivated mystery or incapacitating demands of "Ágætis byrjun" or "( )", "Kveikur" is every bit a return to form, tapping into its predecessors' bottomless emotional wellspring for a Sigur Rós album that can be listened to casually or intensely, a collection that works as effectively as a spiritual experience and pop music, the essence of their overwhelming, widescreen grandeur conveyed with the immediacy of a 50-minute rock record."