Mastodon › Crystal Skull Guitar Tab

Send "Crystal Skull" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

Band:  MASTODON
Album: BLOOD MOUNTAIN
Song:  CRYSTAL SKULL
Transcribed By: (The Kraken)
Email:          (the_kraken_awakes@yahoo.co.uk)
.  - palm mute           /  - slide up to
\  - slide down to       ~  - vibrato
h  - hammer on           b  - Bend
p  - pull off            Suffixes for bend
t  - tap                 f  - full bend    h - half bend
ph - pinched harmonic    q  - quarter bend t - tap bend
*  - see comment         ^  - Hold bend    r release bend
x  - Stuccatto           ~  - vibrato bend
,  - slight palm mute    () - ghost note, sustained note
"  - tremolo note         - Trill
Tuning D G C F A D
Solo is untabbed unfortunately but this is the main body of the song
Main riff
D-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A-------------------------------------------------------------------|
F-------------------------------------------------------------------|
C-------------------------------------------------------------------| X 6
G-------------------7-7-7-6~----6~----------------------------------|
D-0-0-0-7-7-7-8-8-8---------8-7---8-7-------------------------------|
Verse riff
"Into the black hole..."
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--10-10-10--9-9-9--7-7-7-------10-10-10--9-9-9--7-7-7--------------|
|---8--8--8--7-7-7--5-5-5--------8--8--8--7-7-7--5-5-5--------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5-----------9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5----------------|
|--9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5-----------9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5----------------|
|--7-7-7--6-6-6--3-3-3-----------7-7-7--6-6-6--3-3-3----------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Gtr 2 plays
|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|
|---16-16-16--13-15-15--10-12-12-----|
|---14-14-14--13-15-15--10-12-12-----|
-
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--10-10-10--9-9-9--7-7-7-------10-10-10--9-9-9--7-7-7--------------|
|---8--8--8--7-7-7--5-5-5--------8--8--8--7-7-7--5-5-5--------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5-----------9--11--8---------------------------|
|--9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5-----------x---x--x--------------------------|
|--7-7-7--6-6-6--3-3-3-----------7---9--6---------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Main riff
"the source of consciousness..."
D-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A-------------------------------------------------------------------|
F-------------------------------------------------------------------|
C-------------------------------------------------------------------| X4
G-------------------7-7-7-6~----6~----------------------------------|
D-0-0-0-7-7-7-8-8-8---------8-7---8-7-------------------------------|
Verse riff
"Into the black hole..."
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--10-10-10--9-9-9--7-7-7-------10-10-10--9-9-9--7-7-7--------------|
|---8--8--8--7-7-7--5-5-5--------8--8--8--7-7-7--5-5-5--------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5-----------9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5----------------|
|--9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5-----------9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5----------------|
|--7-7-7--6-6-6--3-3-3-----------7-7-7--6-6-6--3-3-3----------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Gtr 2 plays
|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|
|---16-16-16--13-15-15--10-12-12-----|
|---14-14-14--13-15-15--10-12-12-----|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--10-10-10--9-9-9--7-7-7-------10-10-10--9-9-9--7-7-7--------------|
|---8--8--8--7-7-7--5-5-5--------8--8--8--7-7-7--5-5-5--------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5-----------9--11--8---------------------------|
|--9-9-9--8-8-8--5-5-5-----------x---x--x---------------------------|
|--7-7-7--6-6-6--3-3-3-----------7---9--6---------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Interlude
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---7-10-9-10-7----7-10-9-10-7-----7-9-6---7-9-6--------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-0--------------0---------------0-------0--------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------7------7-----------------------|
|---7-10-9-10-7----7-10-9-10-7-----7---9--7---9---------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-0--------------0---------------0-------0--------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--9-7--------------------------------------------------------------|
|------10-9-10-9-7---10-9-6---9-7h9p7-------------------------------|
|------------------7--------7---------10----------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Gtr 2 plays harmony
|----------------|
|-12-10h12p10----|
|------------12--|
|----------------|
|----------------|
|----------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--9-7--------------------------------------------------------------|
|------10-9-10-9-7---10-9-6---9-7h9p7-------------------------------|
|------------------7--------7---------10----------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Gtr 2 plays harmony
|------------|
|-8-6h8p6----|
|---------9--|
|------------|
|------------|
|------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---7-10-9-10-7----7-10-9-10-7-----7-9-9-9-6---7-9-9-9-6------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-0--------------0---------------0-----------0----------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------7-7-7--------7-7-7-------------|
|---7-10-9-10-7----7-10-9-10-7-----7-------9----7-------9-----------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-0--------------0---------------0------------0---------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--9-7--------------------------------------------------------------|
|------10-9-10-9-7---10-9-6---9-7h9p7-------------------------------|
|------------------7--------7---------10----------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Gtr 2 plays harmony
|----------------|
|-12-10h12p10----|
|------------12--|
|----------------|
|----------------|
|----------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--9-7--------------------------------------------------------------|
|------10-9-10-9-7---10-9-6---9-7h9p7-------------------------------|
|------------------7--------7---------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Gtr 2 plays harmony
|------------|
|-8-6h8p6----|
|------------|
|------------|
|------------|
|------------|
Riff 2
"One million voice!"
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-9--11--12--8-(8)--------------------9--11--12--8-(8)--------------|
|-x--x----x--x-(x)--------------------x--x----x--x-(x)--------------|
|-7--9---10--6-(6)-6h7p6--------------7--9---10--6-(6)-6h7p6--------|
|------------------------8-7---------------------------------8-7----|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-9--11--12--8-(8)--------------------9--11--12--8-(8)--------------|
|-x--x----x--x-(x)--------------------x--x----x--x-(x)--------------|
|-7--9---10--6-(6)-6h7p6--------------7--9---10--6-(6)-6h7p6--------|
|------------------------8-7---------------------------------8-7----|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--7h8p7------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------9-8---2h3p2p0----------------------------------------------|
|----------------------2--------------------------------------------|
"Running thru the darkness!"
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------8-(8)--------------------8-(8)------------------------------|
|-2-4-5-6-(6)-6h7p6--------2-4-5-6-(6)-6h7p6------------------------|
|-0-2-3-------------8-7----0-2-3-------------8-7--------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------8-(8)--------------------8-(8)------------------------------|
|-2-4-5-6-(6)-6h7p6--------2-4-5-6-(6)-6h7p6------------------------|
|-0-2-3-------------8-7----0-2-3-------------8-7--------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--7h8p7------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------9-8---2h3p2p0----------------------------------------------|
|----------------------2--------------------------------------------|
"The touch is cold!"
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-9-9---------------9-9---------------------------------------------|
|-7-7---------------7-7---------------------------------------------|
|-----.3-2-0-3-2-0------.3-2-0-3-2-0--------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-12--12----------------12-12---------------------------------------| X4
|-10--10----------------10-10---------------------------------------|
|--------.3-2-0-3-2-0---------.3-2-0-3-2-0--------------------------|
Riff 3
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-0h2-2-0h2p0-2-----0-2---0-----0h2-2-0h2p0-2-----0-2---0-----------|
|---------------2-2-----2---------------------2-2-----2-------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-0h2-2-0h2p0-2-----0-2---0-----0h2-2-0h2p0-2-----0-2---0-----------|
|---------------2-2-----2---------------------2-2-----2-------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Gtr 2 plays harmony
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--4h5-5-4h5p4-5-----4-5---4-----4h5-5-4h5p4-5-----4-5---4----------|
|----------------5-5-----5---------------------5-5-----5------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
SOLO over riff 3 repeated
then back to...
Main riff
D-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A-------------------------------------------------------------------|
F-------------------------------------------------------------------|
C-------------------------------------------------------------------| X4
G-------------------7-7-7-6~----6~----------------------------------|
D-0-0-0-7-7-7-8-8-8---------8-7---8-7-------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-0h2-2-0h2p0-2-----0-2---0-----------------------------------------|
|---------------2-2-----2-------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Gtr 2 plays harmony
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--4h5-5-4h5p4-5-----4-5---4----------------------------------------|
|----------------5-5-----5------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Finish
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-9-/-2-------------------------------------------------------------|
|-7-/-2-------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----0-------------------------------------------------------------|

Crystal Skull Tab

Send "Crystal Skull" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

Source: http://www.guitarmasta.net/m/mastodon/354347.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture ben Rhythm Player	#1 by ben kurkul at Sep 27, 2007 at 12:38 AM EST
	The narrator person of Blood Mountain is searching for the Crystal Skull to place on the top of the mountain (no joke, the band actually said this)

No Picture Emdizzy foshizz Lead Player	#2 by Emdizzy foshizzy at Sep 27, 2007 at 8:33 AM EST
	well i suppose it does kinda sound like the torch is gone but its not.... anyway, yeah the song is definatley about how the "hero" as he is referd to in the wolf is lose, has to get this crystal skull from inside a cave ("black hole") im not to sure bout the faces and voices though, could be bats or something... great song from a great album by a great band.

No Picture nate Average	#3 by nate eastman at Sep 27, 2007 at 11:21 AM EST
	Ok to s0ck ninja and Ddadutta's first comment. I completely agree that lyrics are not the most important part of the song ant that every single bit of the band is just as important as the other. But The whole point of this website is to discuss the lyrics and what they mean. So dont bother sayin that kind of shit yea?

No Picture Laurence Average	#4 by Laurence Alam at Sep 27, 2007 at 9:43 PM EST
	Righto there serge, lets try to put our heads together here and find some meaning to this song instead of talkling about if its the right lyrics or night. This song seems to be about finding the Crystal Skull first before actually climbing the mountain. I think this because the following song is "Sleeping Giant" which seems to be about the mountain itself. The thing I don't understand is the stuff about the blackholes. Is the Crystal Skull located in another dimension? Seems like the hero has to travel to a dark place in another dimension to obtain the skull. This new dimension is full of all these different horrors (blood-sucking flies, darkness everywhere, and millons of voices yelling and screaming).

No Picture Dean Rhythm Player	#5 by Dean M at Sep 28, 2007 at 4:18 AM EST
	wow Ddadutta i didn't really realize that... i think the gods they're referring to are actually the cysquatch or some other force on the mountain controlling him. Also i don't think the guy (or girl) even knows that he was chosen i think things were set up for him to get there (like getting the map and journal?) anyway i think he gets in the cave, sees it and there might be a bunch of bats screaming and shrieking and biting him and he runs out of the cave. ps. that parts so sick (covered in blood-sucking-flies!!!!)

No Picture jamie Lead Player	#6 by jamie mordue at Sep 28, 2007 at 2:44 PM EST
	Check it out. Think the beginning of Indiana Jones. Except once Indy grabs the gold Idol, Wolfbane holds the Crystal Skull in his hands and doesn't book with it, he decided to implant the skull under his skin, bloody hell and self mutilation, hence taking the plunge [into consciousness]... The veins bleeding refers to a living dungeon that activates once the prize has been compromized. So our clumsy hero is dashing out of the black hole with his neck on fire alarming all the inhabitants of his pillage, already dazzled by his own frightful choice.

No Picture hey u by the th Average	#7 by hey u by the that thing. SHUTUP!! at Sep 30, 2007 at 2:18 PM EST
	no dude i wasn't being sarcastic at all. now i feel hell of stupid... I also didn't think of the main character as a werewolf but i guess that makes perfect sense too. I mean he doesn't have to be a werewolf, he could just be someone whos kind of hypocrytical or bi polarish and this is his punishment. I don't think there is much more to explain in this song except i think that the wolf is loose video is very accurate to the story and sets up how the guy becomes tied to this journey. Maybe hes curious to get the crystal skull as treasure but when performing that ritual at the end he becomes cursed with the task of taking it to the top. The sickest part is the verse with "the touch is cold" verse where it sounds like mortal kombat souls screaming past your eardrums... SO AWESOME!

No Picture sY Average	#8 by sYsTem oWnS rOx at Sep 30, 2007 at 11:53 PM EST
	Sorry for mentioning it then! But this is just what I was thinking before I had the the album, and heard crystal skull on myspace.

No Picture Maggotkill Average	#9 by Maggotkill at Oct 2, 2007 at 1:07 PM EST
	If you're trying to be sarcastic in the first line, thats really unnecessary of you man.. Anyway I came up with another idea: I Wolf it is also revealed that he becomes a wolf when the night comes, or possibly even when he is far away from the sunlight, which might mean that when plunging into the deep caverns, he morphs into his wolf-form, which is basically how he manages to capture the crystal skull.

No Picture Nathan Average	#10 by Nathan Delvecchio at Oct 4, 2007 at 7:49 AM EST
	Ok to s0ck ninja and Ddadutta's first comment. I completely agree that lyrics are not the most important part of the song ant that every single bit of the band is just as important as the other. But The whole point of this website is to discuss the lyrics and what they mean. So dont bother sayin that kind of shit yea?

No Picture blake Average	#11 by blake pratt at Oct 4, 2007 at 7:48 PM EST
	He isnt' "hypocrytical or bi polarish". Mastodon lyrics are about mithological themes. Don't get medical in this :P And it's a boy. You can see a representation in a T-Shirt which is being sold at Mastodon's oficial website. About the voices and faces, I think the answer is here: "crystalline resonance". I think that the Crystal has some kind of power, making it only reachable for a "super-human", such like a werewolf. That is why he was chosen by the gods. A normal human couldn't reach the Skull. And that resonance is making him desorientated (sorry about my bad english) and making him seeing thousand faces and thousand voices. Who knows, maybe de voices of the ones who died under the demand for the Crystal Skull.

No Picture Jake Wanna Be	#12 by Jake Stewart at Oct 5, 2007 at 10:53 AM EST
	It's not only hard to hear what they're saying, but their lyrics are hardly accurate. 'Least they weren't for Lifesblood or Remission. Leviathan had pretty accurate lyrics.

No Picture edwin Wanna Be	#13 by edwin henrriquez at Oct 7, 2007 at 3:02 AM EST
	The crystal skull is in a cave. I'm pretty sure that's what they mean when they say "into the black hole."From what I've seen and read, the crystal skull is something need at the top of the mountain, but is either at the very botom of Blood Mountain or in a smaller mountain right before it. Still don't know why the dude's trying to climb it, though.

No Picture alex Average	#14 by alex at Oct 7, 2007 at 9:34 AM EST
	He's climbing the mountain because he's been chosen by the gods to place the skull on the top of the mountain. This is revealed in The Wolf Is Loose.

No Picture Sam Average	#15 by Sam Ordway at Oct 7, 2007 at 10:11 AM EST
	oand you hear something else instead* Only me* Im sorry for not checking my message before posting it.

No Picture Nileppezdel Lead Player	#16 by Nileppezdel at Oct 8, 2007 at 5:47 PM EST
	There are more important parts to music than the lyrics

No Picture Lenny Judd (Pap Wanna Be	#17 by Lenny Judd (Papa Smurf) at Oct 10, 2007 at 4:00 PM EST
	Only me getting confused by mastodon lyrics, just from hearing them. I for example head. "The torch is Gone" And I read the booklet and it says: " The touch is cold" Am I only being stupid or is it hard to hear what they really are saying, and you here something else instead. Also. I heard: " Making the blades bleed" I was thinking. I know blades can't bleed, but more like someone cut themselves on blades. But then again I read the lyrics and it says "veins" Only? Please.. Getting confused. And that isn't only this song. But hey. Im beginning to get a hardcore mastodon fan, and Ive read almost all lyrics from them. Or ive read all, just can't remember the weirdest ones. Also I bought Blood Mountain today, and it kicks ass! Dammit! Hope they'll make a new dvd soon... Also agree with this dude, the skull is sort of a red line through the album and its more like the "earth" element. From what ive heard. And it looks so. Like Remission is fire and leviathan is water.

No Picture GonnaKill Average	#18 by GonnaKill YOU at Oct 14, 2007 at 12:38 AM EST
	why do people sit here and have scrannies over the fact that they hear something different in the song, SO WHAT! The lyrics are in the booklet, right there for you to look at, just cos you hear something else, doesn't mean that's what they're saying. I'm actually gonna use this website properly and suggest what i think the song means, possibly about the start of the journey up the mountain, or else to actually find the crystal skull first, like he has to find it, THEN set off up the mountain.

No Picture Justin - MrBlit Rhythm Player	#19 by Justin - MrBlitz - Maletta at Oct 15, 2007 at 1:27 PM EST
	maaan, if we I was to define 'metal' the definition would have to be Mastodon... I mean you can't get more metal than this the touch is cold i tore a path screaming through wind and blood i will it all burning deep in my skull

No Picture Alexander Wanna Be	#20 by Alexander Taule at Oct 15, 2007 at 3:38 PM EST
	maybe the last verse is about the dude getting disoriented and hurt by the haunting and screaming voices and he just takes it all in and starts screaming and running as fast as he can out of the cave with the crystal skull

No Picture Avinash Average	#21 by Avinash Dutta at Oct 15, 2007 at 9:06 PM EST
	So what if you cant make out what they're saying

No Picture SLUT Badass	#22 by SLUT at Oct 17, 2007 at 11:29 AM EST
	I don't like to hyper-analyze songs like these... I prefer to appreciate them as whole musical pieces, and tend to take in the general tone of the vocals and lyrics as opposed to an actual storyline. I did get the impression that the album followed a story, but not as clearly as with leviathan. Inobservant? Totally. Lazy? Not really. Borderline Asperger's disorder? Yep, I'm retardedish... so I have issues with figuring out music...

No Picture Chris Average	#23 by Chris Essery at Oct 17, 2007 at 6:37 PM EST
	i think serge is damn rite here, it is damn anoying when you have a coppy of the official lyrics and someone recons its something else.