Blast First's Sonic Death: Early Sonic 1981-1983 captures the early incarnation of Sonic Youth at their noisiest and artiest. Often, it's unfocused and tiresome, but there are enough intriguing moments to make it of interest to some collectors, even if fans who became familiar with Sonic Youth with such later works as Daydream Nation or Dirty (or even Sister and EVOL) might find this a little inaccessible. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide