Hells Headbangers Comments On Passing Of Jim Konya

Yesterday we reported the passing of longtime Nunslaughter drummer Jim Konya at age 44. Jim had suffered a debilitating stroke on September 7, right after brightening the spirits of many attendees of Hells Headbangers' Hells Headbash - Part 2 that weekend.

On September 27, he suffered another, more severe stroke. Although hope lingered, his condition continued to worsen. On October 7, the decision was made to remove Jim from life support, and he left this mortal coil at 7:10 pm EST.

Whether it was through selfless encouragement or his characteristically mischievous sense of humor, his impact on the worldwide metal and punk scenes was nothing but positive. "Jim Sadist" was most renowned for his work in NunSlaughter, for whom he drummed for 20 years, but for nearly as long, he drummed for Schnauzer and fronted (and occasionally drummed for) The Spawn of Satan, who released the very first record on Hells Headbangers.

Recently, the label offered a special The Spawn of Satan download collection for donation to a medical expense fund, and will continue to offer it for Jim's final expenses here. Hells Headbangers label head Chase Horval had the following to say about Jim's passing:

"Jim was a massive inspiration during the formative years of Hells Headbangers. Not only did he take us under his metal wing and teach us how to get an LP made, he introduced us to many great bands over the years, and his death/thrash band The Spawn of Satan was the very first to sign to Hells Headbangers long before we made any footprint on the metal map. Without him, we may of never released a single NunSlaughter record, or have even become a record label, for that matter."

With an equally heavy heart, founding NunSlaughter vocalist Don of the Dead states, "It is difficult to express the overwhelming sense of loss of Jim. Perhaps in time, I will be able to tell everyone more about him, but for now, I only want to say, 'Goodbye Jim, I love you.'"