[2] Hamilton claimed in July 1997 that his goal when writing the album was to create a greater mix between smarts and crunch: "I don't want to say that I'm sick of the visceral animal response that we get - I'm not, But I need more than that.

The album was close to being released in late 1996, and promotional interviews were held (such as for the Visions Magazine 09/1996 cover story), while advance tapes were also sent to journalists.

The album release was withdrawn and the mix duties were handed from producer Dave Sardy to Terry Date, with the recording process not being completed until a few months later.

Aftertaste was a disappointment compared to the band's previous albums; it debuted at number 47 on the Billboard 200 chart, and fell off a mere five weeks later.

AllMusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a negative review, writing "Without the invention of Betty or the gut-level force of Meantime, Helmet is simply a bland alternative metal band, lacking riffs, hooks, and purpose and relying only on volume.

After a not-so-Helmet effort with 1994’s Betty, Page Hamilton and company come back with full knuckle-busting, abrasive force", also praising the "incredibly tight bass and drums on 'Insatiable' and 'Crisis King'".

The review remarks, "Helmet's Aftertaste and the Rollins Band's Come In and Burn are prime examples of the '90s brand of paramilitary headbanging.

"[15] Gabo Ronson of The Daily Eastern News gave Aftertaste four out of five stars in his 1997 review, labelling it a "riff-heavy collection of songs that satisfies the headbanger in all of us."

He observed that the album was "pretty much heavy as hell all the way through", but noted that the track "Renovation", "strays from the hard-rocking stomp of 'Pure' and attempts to delve into the world of punk/pop a la Green Day."

He additionally wrote, "the one thing I noticed after listening to this CD was the fact that there were a number of mainstream bands out right now that completely rip off Helmet.

"[21] In April 1997, CMJ New Music Monthly writer M. Tye Comer characterized the album as having "rough, masochistic guitar grooves that pummel with jackhammer intensity."

"[22] Entertainment Weekly wrote that the band, "maintain a metal-machine beat as precise as their crew cuts", but criticized Hamilton's vocals for making the songs "cold and humorless".

[12] The album generally continues to divide listeners of the band, with some considering it comparable to Helmet's earlier work, and others viewing it as the "black sheep" of their original 1990s discography.

"[24] They also observed that, "The music scene had shifted somewhat dramatically in the nearly three years since Betty, and 1997 would ultimately be remembered for bands like Limp Bizkit and Coal Chamber creeping into the spotlight under the rise of nu metal which, incidentally, was a genre Helmet would end up credited by many to have primarily influenced.

[31] Helmet's first shows following the release of Aftertaste were with Korn and Limp Bizkit in North America and Europe, from March 1997 to June 1997.

[32] Limp Bizkit's turntablist DJ Lethal had earlier worked with Helmet in 1993 on the song "Just Another Victim" for the Judgement Night soundtrack.

[35] Traynor also recalled crying in a hotel room after a show in Manchester, England, since he knew it was inevitable that Helmet was going to breakup and that he would be left with no other band to play in.