[Inori]

I've been playing for way too long to be at the low-ish level I am (hooray, inconsistent practice!), but I can offer some tips.

1. Know your tunings and remember to switch when necessary, especially if you're interested in metal. Pretty much everything modern metal is in drop D, and sometimes I don't notice why the song I'm playing sounds like shit until I'm half way into it.
   
2. Try to learn things way above your skill level. I know it sounds stupid, and it's a little disheartening at times, but once you get more advanced techniques down, everything easier becomes a cinch.
   
3. Pedals (distortion especially) are expensive, but a metal guitarist's best friend, and really fun to play with if you get a nice array going. Maybe even split the patch cord, run a few in series, put a looper in there somewhere, and use a distortion box as a pre-amp or something (I really want to do this, but I don't have the money for it).
   

The guitar itself looks awesome, and your idea for a decal sounds pretty cool. Good luck, and don't be an idiot and drop it for a year like I did Keep us updated!