It's really easy to stamp something as a 'father' of something else. In this case, there are many bands that could claim to be 'fathers' of metal. Just because Led Zeppelin was hugely popular and played rock music doesn't mean they had anything do do with the influence and rise of the NWOBH. Folks could offer up a host of other suggestions like Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, Mountain and many more. Hell, even Chuck Berry could be considered as he promoted loud and driven rock guitar playing. I'm of the opinion that when discussing something as complex and popular as music, no one entity can be listed as the sole influence on new genres.
I ran past the In Flames content while making November's Metal Monthly thread. I know that they are one of those bands that has gone through a lot of style change over the years. But, boy, what has happened to those folks? I never really followed them as they aren't my cup of tea, but the new stuff was pretty awful imo. More of an alt-rock vibe to it actually, which is a bit depressing :(
(I really need to bookmark that thread). I think it's a combination of going through life and member changes. They lost Jesper back in 2010 and that was a massive change for them. While some bands (like Dream Theater) can go through band changes and continue to make monumental music these guys couldn't. You're right with the alt-rock vibe. Their music stopped being the awesome melodic death metal that it was and incorporated different styles completely. Their releases since 2010 have been on/off per each album, with Sounds of a Playground Fading being the standout in the last 8 years. People have given up wanting the old In Flames back, and rightly so.
I could honestly talk for hours about melodeath and In Flames!
working through alamar's metal monthly thread (power metal section of course). This one is interesting... not like any melodic power metal I've heard before... not mindblowing but not off-putting either.