Palm-muting is found throughout heavy metal and hard rock. It is actually relatively easy to learn. The main mechanism is the placing of the strumming hand at the base of the strings. The underside of the strumming hand rests on top of the strings, mildly muting the strings when they are struck. Normally, a player wants to avoid touching any strings that are not being played, but palm muting is sort of an exception. The string that you want to play is still struck the same way, but the only difference is that the string is not allowed to ring completely. The note is still heard, but the ring is minimized and the sound is muffled.
A favorite staple of Metallica songs, the low E string is palm muted heavily throughout many songs. It provides the "chugga chugga" sound that gives the songs their ferociousness. It makes the stringed-instrument partly percussion. Thanks to the distortion, the notes sound like a small drum, giving it an extra layer of heaviness.
Power chords are another staple of heavy metal. These chords are very easy to play compared to other chords. Most other chords require some contortion of the hand so that certain fingers are able to hold down different notes. With power chords, the stress on the hand is minimal. My friend Joaquin, who got a head start on playing guitar in high school, taught me how easy power chords are. All you need is the selection of one note on a string. Then, on the next higher string, you move down the neck two frets and hold that note down with another finger. Two fingers are all you really need. The best part is that this chord can be played virtually anywhere on the neck without changing hand positioning. This makes it very easy to play multiple chords in a fast progression.
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