Here's my history with metal. I have played tuba, bass, and guitar (in that order). And with guitar, I studied classical (think Bach, Beethoven, etc.), which utilises finger picking, and is just awesome because with a lot of songs you play the bass, melody, and harmony. So it is great for solo playing (which I only ever did in front of anybody when I have too, I just love smoking and playing classical, it's the shit).
Through classical guitar, I met a bunch of classical guitarists who also played metal (it seems to go hand in hand). So I eventually got drug into it. And I've loved it ever since. Some of the most technically gifted guitarist's are found in metal. They can play things that are just unreal.
Emotion. Metal is some of the most emotionally charged music that I know of, especially the more extreme vocal styles, like death growls and snarls, shrieks, and anything in between).
However, the emotions present are ones which are not typically sought after in our musical selections: anger, and depression. (I know there is more than this, but these are found predominantly in the more extreme metal genres like black metal, and death metal). Oh wait...these are the same emotions in country songs! (Which is why rednecks like country and metal, I reckon).
Often times, people complain about the vocal style, the "screaming". They say, "I can't understand what they're saying." Well, treat it like an instrument. And it is redolent to listening to music in a foreign language, you have no idea what they're saying, but you still listen.
They're not all about satan. Yes, there are a bunch of bands that do, but there are far more that don't. Other lyrical themes are science fiction, folklore (especially Scandinavian mythology), the bible, and <insert anything here>. It's diverse.
The screams can sound angry, demonic, scary, full of pain, or sad. This just adds to the ambiance of the track. Some bands are very atmospheric as well.
Some of my favorites are ones maudlin of the Well, who are very experimental. Like, they'll have a quiet string quartet section, then an heavy section with screamed vocals, then a piano with female vocals. Shits trippy, and awesome!
tl;dr: Metal is very diverse, not about satan, extremely talented musicians.
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