It's not secret that '90s metalcore acts like Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Darkest Hour, and Trivium were influenced by the Swedish melodic death metal scene. So how does former In Flames (and current The Halo Effect) guitarist Jesper Strömblad feel about his role in creating the genre? Long story short, pretty good! Strömblad said in an interview with Blabbermouth he's honored to have influenced so many bands, and is amazed that the Gothenburg scene was so far reaching.
"[Metalcore] was more of a tribute [to the genre rather than a ripoff]. It was amazing you could hear it and the members of the successful American bands who mentioned Swedish bands as their influence. From little Sweden, we have been part of creating this genre of metalcore, like Killswitch and As I Lay Dying. It's an honor to be a part of creating this."
Later in the interview, Strömblad echoed what vocalist Mikael Stanne recently said about The Halo Effect already working on a follow-up to their currently-unreleased debut album Days Of The Lost. "Yeah, [the band is my priority right now]. Maybe sometimes it will be a little puzzling if it clashes, but The Halo Effect is my priority," said Strömblad.
"I'm laying low with everything else right now. We started working on this album so long ago. We are already planning to start recording a new album. I don't know if I should say that." He later added "We're writing new music for the next album because everything was so delayed. We don't want to wait another four years before the next album comes out."
