The sign of the horns, also known as devil horns or metal horns, is ubiquitous in heavy metal, hard rock and beyond. Music fans, especially concertgoers, come across it frequently.

We kept recruiting horn players with the idea that we’d always have a “section” of at least two horns on any gig. This was back when bands could, and did, play almost every night of the week!

The horns, the most metal of hand gestures, have a tangled history. In Buddhism they represent the expulsion of demons, while in certain Latin countries they signify something far ruder. In simple ...