AllMusic (Andy Hinds) - "Seemingly a musical omnivore, [Foetus] devours everything and spits it back out in a scrap heap of sonic chaos, twisted beyond recognition. His oblique yet subversive lyrical themes don't make Ache any more palatable for the faint of heart. This is the sound of unfiltered imagination, absolutely unencumbered by notions of commerce or accessibility. Brilliant."
NME - "Ache is possessed by a bristling, maniacal intelligence which spews out a jostling, surreal collage of subverted musical and verbal cliches, wired word associations, epigrams and sheer invictive with frantic urgency and gleefully black humor. Ache is one of the most violently original and compelling records I've heard in ages. It would make an ideal Christmas present."[4]