You need to hold your sticks farther up, otherwise you could risk a lot of finger problems later on in life, arthritis because all the shock of the stick is getting absorbed straight into your fingers. Its not easy, but you will thank yourself for it later in life if you continue to play drums. In addition, it will make you able to utilize the bounce of your stroke much more as well for double strokes, fast paradiddles, etc.
Although its more of a personal preference, metal is really a fast genre these days, lots of cymbal switching, fast tom fills and such. You might want to condense your setup, especially the hi-hat closer to the snare for fast fills and such. Also if your trying to do covers, listen to which type of cymbal they're using, you use the wrong one during the chorus and verses of a lot of your covers.
Good luck and keep playing
