That's not "metal" . . . or is it?

While 2016 has taken its share of legends from us, it continues to produce some great new rock.  The metal community is at times very welcoming and open-minded, but on the other hand, some metal heads are very specific with sub-genres they are willing to tolerate and poo-poo anything that doesn't sound like what their definition of "real metal" is.  The following are some bands that are certainly bridging genres and crossover into metal territory, but they may be more palatable to the mainstream crowd also.

Volbeat - Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie
If you haven't heard of them yet, shame on you.  This is their 6th
album and they've opened for the likes of Motorhead, Cold, Nightwish, and the Big 4.  Their style is unique.  They're Danish.  They play a mix of rockabilly and metal which means it is bluesy and melodic, but still rocks!  The singing is clean with a southern/rockabilly twang.  The riffs and phrases tend to be short and easy to sing along to.  It's the kind of thing you will love or hate and you'll know pretty soon.  I love it and think their whole catalogue is pretty amazing.  You could argue that a lot of it sounds the same, but it's a style all their own.  Furthermore, this album adds some surprises like some shredding guitar work on "Seal the Deal" courtesy of ex-Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano, a couple of obscure cover songs, bagpipes on "The Loa's Crossroad" and a guest vocal appearance by Danko Jones on the song "Black Rose."

Issues - Headspace
I was blown away by this band's self-titled album in 2014 and I am equally pleased with their latest effort.  They have a mix of pop, R&B, hip-hop and metalcore that is pretty crazy!  There is some DJ sampling and scratching.  They have two vocalists that mix clean singing, rapping, and some screaming.  Some might try to label them nu-metal, but to me they bear little resemblance to the turn of the century bands that carried that moniker.
Some standout tracks include:  Catchy chorus containing "The Realest," harder hitting "Lost-n-Found" and on the more emotional front, "Slow Me Down."

Sick Puppies - Fury
This is the first album without founding singer Shimon Moore who exited in somewhat controversial fashion.  Considering the previous album was the most pop-oriented, I'm glad to see that with new singer Bryan Scott there seems to be a return to the more edgier side.  First single "Stick to Your Guns" should resonate with fans of the band as it could have easily been on one of the first two albums.  We do hear some more singing from bassist Emma on this album though.  She sings backup on a few tracks and lead on "Walls."  She has a great voice.  For me it is unfortunate that this one is one of the most poppy and it sounds a bit like a watered down Evanescence song.  I'm more fond of songs like "Earth to You" and "Let Me Live"