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Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 13:30:41 -0600

Postmortem

- Slayer

>From the album Reign in Blood.

Transcribed by Ian Lanza

This is the first Slayer song I learned. It is very easy, but you've got to have
a lot of energy to make it sound good.


Tune down 1/2 step.


e|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--9-------------10-\-9----9-/-10-----11-\-9---------------------------------|
D|--9-------------10-\-9----9-/-10-----11-\-9---------------------------------|
A|--7--------------8-\-7----7-/--8------9-\-7---------------------------------|
E|--0----0-0-0------------0--------0------------------------------------------|

\------------ Play twice -----------/

e|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------10-\-9----9-/-10------8---8----------------------------------------|
D|---------10-\-9----9-/-10------8---8----------------------------------------|
A|----------8-\-7----7-/--8------6---6-----8--6------6--5---------------------|
E|--0-0-0----------0---------0-------------------7---------7------------------|

The first time, go back to the start.

Second time, play "Riff A" and then go back.

Third time, play "Riff A", play "Riff B", and then go to the main rhythm.

e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--3--------------------2------------------------------------------------|
A|-----5-4-3---------------4-3-2------------------------------------------|
E|------------5--4----------------4--3------------------------------------|

  \---- Riff A ----/  \---- Riff B ----/


 Main rhythm - Play all downstrokes.
 -----------

e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--2--3----------------------2--3---------------------2--3---------------|
A|--2--3----------------------2--3---------------------2--3---------------|
E|--0--1---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0--1--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0--1---0-0-0-0-0-0-|



e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------2---3-3-3--6-6-6--5-5-5--3-3-3------------------------------------|
A|------2---3-3-3--6-6-6--5-5-5--3-3-3------------------------------------|
E|--0-0-0---1-1-1--4-4-4--3-3-3--1-1-1------------------------------------|

( Repeat )

Lyrics :

Funeral held for depression of man
Holds the key to his own death
Enter a tomb of a corpse yet conceived
Tighten the tourniquet round your neck.

(Rhythm changes here)


e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--6----6-6-6-5-5-5-8-8-8-4----4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----------------------|
A|--6----6-6-6-5-5-5-8-8-8-4----4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----------------------|
E|--4----4-4-4-3-3-3-6-6-6-2----2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-----------------------|


e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--6----6-6-6-5-5-5-8-8-8-9----9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-----------------------|
A|--6----6-6-6-5-5-5-8-8-8-9----9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-----------------------|
E|--4----4-4-4-3-3-3-6-6-6-7----7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-----------------------|


Lyrics :

Sifting away debris of hated life
Cold touch of death begins to chill your spine

Seeking life before your perishment
Repeating words echoing through your mind . . .

(Back to main rhythm)

Second verse :

Lyrics :

Chanting lines of blind witchery
Save yourself from extinction
Wanting to die is your reason to live
New life born from the oppressed

(Rhythm change)

Taste you blood as it trickles through the air
Another casualty before the shadows, you fall

Losing power, the fate you feel draws near,
Mortality, reality, await the final call !!!!!

(Back to intro)

A note should be included here :

During the second verse, one guitar does the original rhythm, while the
other plays this riff :


 Main rhythm (with change)
 -----------

e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--2--3----------------------2--3---------------------2--3---------------|
A|--2--3----------------------2--3---------------------2--3---------------|
E|--0--1---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0--1--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0--1---0-0-0-0-0-0-|



e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------3--------------2-----------------------------------------------|
A|-----------5-4-3-----------4-3-2----------------------------------------|
E|--0-0-0-----------5-4------------4-3------------------------------------|

( Repeat )


Remember that ? It's from the intro.

Okay, after the intro is played for the second time, the tempo changes.

e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------6-5-------------------------------------|
A|----7-6-5-----6-5----7-6-5-4-3------------------------------------------|
E|-0--------4-3------0----------------------------------------------------|

 Play twice while the drums fiddle around. When the drums and bass kick in,
 change all notes (except the open E) to fifth diads. That adds power.

 Then when the drums calm down, switch back to notes, play twice, then back to
 diads, play four times.

 Then hold the Ab5.

e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----6------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----6------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----4------------------------------------------------------------------|

Then the drums and bass and one guitar all freeze, and only one guitar plays.

e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---4-4-4-4--3-3-3-3--6-6-6-6--2-2-2-2--4-4-4-4--3-3-3-3--6-6-6-6--7-7-7-7--|

Once, then the second guitar does an upward gliss, and both do the same thing.
They both play through the lyrics.

Lyrics :

My sinful glares at nothing hold
Thoughts of death behind it
.. (I've forgotten this bit, I don't have the song on me right now, someone
please
..   put them in )
Come and die with me forever,
Share insanity.


Rhythm :

F#5   D5 C#5 C5 F#5 G5  A5 Ab5
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------7-7-7-7--6-6-6-6--5-5-5-5--------------------------------------|
D|---4-4-4-4--7-7-7-7--6-6-6-6--5-5-5-5--4-4-4-4--5-5-5-5--7-7-7-7--6-6-6-6--|
A|---4-4-4-4--5-5-5-5--4-4-4-4--3-3-3-3--4-4-4-4--5-5-5-5--7-7-7-7--6-6-6-6--|
E|---2-2-2-2-----------------------------2-2-2-2--3-3-3-3--5-5-5-5--4-4-4-4--|


Play 4 times.

Then back to single note rhythm

Lyrics:

The waves of blood are crashing near,
Pounding on the wall of lies,
Turning off my sanity,
Reaching back into my mind
Non rising bodies from the grave
Showing new reality
What I am, what I was, I'm only after death !
 /\
 ||
Guitars freeze

I always put in a 12 \ 0 slide on the bass E string here, it sounds cool.


Then it goes to the F#5, D5, C#5, C5, F#5, G5, A5, Ab5 rhythm, four times,
finally terminating on the E5 chord.

e|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----2------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----2------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----0------------------------------------------------------------------|


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