Is the finger salute in Heavy Metal really a homage to satan, or is it just a homage to metal?

Is it saying "watch out! The devil is out there, so be vigilant and steer away from him!" or was it a pledge of allegiance to him? I know Ronnie James Dio just died today, and he used the salute more than any other metal act that i can think of. I've been listening to Metal since the 80's, and knew that many bands used the gesture. The black metallers use it most, because of their obvious satanic outlook on life and how their music always has to do with the devil. Still, i don't think Ronnie was this eviil, demonic person. He was always so frickin awesome in his interviews, very down to earth. Also, would the devil, or one of his agents ever step forward and write a song ("Stars") to help out the famished in Africa, as Ronnie did with the band Hear-N-Aid?? Still, he, as well as Black Sabbath, wrote a lot of songs with devilish overtones, as did lots of metal acts have done and still continue to do today. What is your take on the hand gesture?