'A Skull Full Of Maggots' by Cannibal Corpse - Guitar Tutorial

                                         CANNIBAL CORPSE
                         A SKULL FULL OF MAGGOTS
                From their '90 album 'Eaten Back to Life'

Tabbed by:  Jason Mathie
            Mathie@unixg.ubc.ca

A short selection from their earliest album.

Comments:

I will only use the necessary strings for each riff, so be careful to
make sure you're playing on the right strings.

There are some noticeable tempo variations in this song.  I've tried
to give an idea of when it slows down, and included the exact bpm tempos
in a few places for those of you are familiar with such things.

Notation explanation:
     /=3=
  |---------|
  |--0-0-0--|  Triplets.  Play 3 notes where you would normally play 2.
  |---------|

  |3:-|  |4:-|
  |4:-|  |4:-|  Time signature changes.
  |---|  |---|

Generally one dash is a sixteenth note in length.  So ---- is one beat.
Sometimes there's a lot of double digit fret positions or notation
symbols so I have to stretch it out more.  When that happens I'll use
the usual method of writing the note lengths underneath each note.
q=quarter (1 beat)    e=eighth  (1/2 beat)   s=sixteenth (1/4 beat)
Uppercase signifies a rest.

Guitars are tuned to Eb.  Guitarists are Bob Rusay (LeftGtr) and Jack
Owen (RightGtr).

The lyrics are here for you to growl, but the words are _very_
unintelligable on this album.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Tempo: 270 bpm

Riff A
Ab|----------------|----------------|
Eb|5-0-4-0-3-0-2-0-|4-0-3-0-2-0-1-0-|
P.M. . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . .

Play Riff A 8x

Riff B  (slower, tempo: 200 bpm)
   /=3= /=3= /=3= /=3=  /=3= /=3= /=3= /=3=
Db|------------------------|------------------------|--
Ab|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-|--
Eb|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|--
   e e e e e e e e e e e e  e e e e e e e e e e e e

     /=3= /=3= /=3= /=3=
Db --|------------------------|----------7-8---|
Ab --|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|----6-7---------|
Eb --|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|6---------------|
      e e e e e e e e e e e e  q   e q   e q

Play Riff B 2x
Play Riff A 4x

Riff C1  (tempo as before: 270 bpm)
       /=3=     /=3=      /=3= /==3==
Gb|9---------9---------|9------------------|--
Db|7---------7---------|7---------8--8--8--|--
Ab|----0-0-0-----0-0-0-|----0-0-0-8--8--8--|--
Eb|--------------------|-------------------|--
   q   e e e q   e e e  q   e e e q  q  q
P.M    . . .     . . .      . . .

          /=3=
Gb --|9---------9-------|----------------|
Db --|7---------7-------|----------------|
Ab --|----0-0-0-----0---|7---6---5---4---|
Eb --|------------------|5---4---3---2---|
      q   e e e q   q    q   q   q   q
P.M       . . .     .

Play Riff C1 2x

Riff C2
       /=3=     /=3=      /=3=
Gb|9---------9---------|9-----------------|--
Db|7---------7---------|7---------8-8-8-8-|--
Ab|----0-0-0-----0-0-0-|----0-0-0-8-8-8-8-|--
Eb|--------------------|------------------|--
   q   e e e q   e e e  q   e e e e e e e
P.M    . . .     . . .      . . .

          /=3=
Gb --|9---------9-------|----------------|
Db --|7---------7-------|----------------|
Ab --|----0-0-0-----0---|----------------|
Eb --|------------------|5-0-4-0-3-0-2-0-|
      q   e e e q   q    e e e e e e e e
P.M       . . .     .    . . . . . . . .

Play Riff C2 4x with lyrics:

  Lying there cold after a torturous death
  Your life ended fast, you took your last breath
  Dead in a grave, your final place
  The maggots infest your disfigured face

Riff C3
       /=3=     /=3=
Gb|7---------7---------|7---------------|--
Db|5---------5---------|5---------------|--
Ab|----0-0-0-----0-0-0-|------7-5-5-5-5-|--
Eb|--------------------|------5-3-3-3-3-|--
   q   e e e q   e e e  q+e   e e e e e
P.M    . . .     . . .

          /=3=
Gb --|7---------7-------|----------------|
Db --|5---------5-------|----------------|
Ab --|----0-0-0-----0---|7---5---8-8-8-8-|
Eb --|------------------|5---3---6-6-6-6-|
      q   e e e q   q    q   q   e e e e
P.M       . . .     .

Play Riff C3 2x with lyrics:

  Puss through your veins takes the place of blood
  Decay sets in, bones begin to crack
  Thrown six feet down, left to rot
  Brains oozing down the side of your broken neck

Play Riff C2 2x, at last measure growl 'Skull full of maggots!'

Then play
Ab|----------------|                          |----------------|
Eb|4-0-3-0-2-0-1-0-|   then Riff A 2x, then   |5-0-4-0-3-0-2-0-|
P.M. . . . . . . .                             . . . . . . . .

Play:      slow down to 230 bpm
Db|3:-------------|4:--------rooooooarr-----|3:-------------|--
Ab|4:---------4---|4:-3--------|------------|4:-6---5---4---|--
Eb|---4-0-3-0-2---|---1--------|------------|---4---3---2---|--
P.M   . . . .

Db --|4:----rooooooooooaaar--|3:-------------|4:----rroooooooaaarrrr--|
Ab --|4:-2-------|-----------|4:-6---5---4---|4:-3--------|-----------|
Eb --|---0-------|-----------|---4---3---2---|---1--------|-----------|

Riff D
Db|3:-------------|----------------|----------------|--
Ab|4:-6---5---4---|2---------------|----------------|--
Eb|---4---3---2---|0000000000000000|0000000000000000|--
P.M                 ............... ................

Db --|3:-------------|----------------|----------------|
Ab --|4:-6---5---4---|3---------------|----------------|
Eb --|---4---3---2---|1111111111111111|1111111111111111|
P.M                    ............... ................

Play Riff D 4x with lyrics:

                                       They enter your tomb 
  Beginning to feast              Crawling on you 
  Now they eat you                Rotting maggots 
  Infesting your corpse     Parasites of the dead 

Now a very fast slowdown to 130 bpm:

 Now dwell in your head
Db|3:-------------|------------|--
Ab|4:-6---5---4---|2-----------|--
Eb|---4---3---2---|0-----------|--
                                                tempo back to 270 bpm
Db --|3:-2-----------|2-----------|2-----------|4:-2-------|----------|
Ab --|4:-2---2---2---|2---2---2---|2---2---2---|4:-2-------|---rest---|
Eb --|---0---0---0---|0---0---0---|0---0---0---|---0-------|----------|
P.M      .   .   .    .   .   .    .   .   .       .

Play Riff A 2x  followed by     Ab|8---8---8---8---|
                                Eb|6---6---6---6---|
Riff E
Gb|9---------------|9---------------|9---------------|----------------|
Db|9---------------|9---------------|9---------------|----------------|
Ab|7---------------|7---------------|7---------------|8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-|
Eb|----7-7-8-8-7---|----7-7-8-8-7---|----7-7-8-8-7---|6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|
P.M    . . . . .        . . . . .        . . . . .

Play Riff E 4x with lyrics (as in first verse):

  Lying there cold after a torturous death
  Your life ended...

End on   |9----|
         |9----|
         |7----|
         |-----|
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I see from the liner notes that Glen Benton from Deicide does some
guest vocals on this song.  I guess that's where the background guys are
screaming .

  E-mail me with any concerns, questions, requests, corrections...

      Mathie@unixg.ubc.ca