[NEWBIE] Guitar recommendations ~$500

Hi!

I'm looking to get my first electric guitar with a budget of around $500. Quite a bit of money for my first one, but I tend to stick with the hobbies I choose, so I'd prefer to get something decent and enjoyable to play. I could potentially spend slightly more if there's a great step-up to be made, but $500 is the general ballpark amount.

I want something that lends itself towards towards metal, so from what I've been reading, it seems like I'd be looking at brands like ESC, Schecter, Ibanez etc. but I'm really still quite lost. I've also been learning about the differences between passive and active pickups, fretboard and body wood types, string gauges, amps, etc, but all this new knowledge doesn't seem to help me decide.

I'd really appreciate any recommendations, because having all this new information thrown at me and not being overly familiar with the choices is quite overwhelming. If I had some experience, I'd just walk down to my local store and try a bunch of them out, but since I'm really a true beginner, I'm relying on the experience of others (you guys).

Thanks in advance!

tl;dr: Looking for an electric guitar with a budget of around $500, any help is greatly appreciated.