Thunderhead Bass Tabs - Overkill @ BigBassTabs.com


Artist: OverKill
Song:   Thunderhead
Album:  Bloodletting

Tabbed by JOSH/SCALLYWAG
Tuning: DGCF (1 step down)

This is an easy and very heavy song to play.It's a mid—tempo song, but it has 
some really fast notes which are really fun to play.

Riff A (Intro):

F|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
C|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
G|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
D|0—0—0000—0000—0—|1—1—1—3———1———1—|1—0—0000—0000—0—|1—0—0000—0000—0—|

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|0—0—0000—0000—0—|1—1—1—6———1———1—|1—0—0000—0000—0—|1—0—0000—0000—0—|

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|0—0—0000—0000—0—|1—1—1—3———1———1—|1—0—0000—0000—0—|1—0—0000—0000—0—|

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|0—0—0000—0000—0—|1—1—1—3———1———1—|1—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—|1—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—||


Riff B (Play 6 times, vocals enter 3rd time):

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|1—0—0000—0003—6—|1—0—0000—0003—6—|1—0—0000—0003—6—|1—0—00—01—0—00—0||

 (1st verse)
  Nothing but lying and killing and dying in this dream
  Anything better than what we had better believe
  No mention of freedom, no glory halleluiah
  No mention, your freedom, I'm coming home for you

Riff C (Play 4 times):

|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|6—5—65—6—5656565|6—5—65—6—5650———||

 (Pre—Chorus)
  Life was but a simple dream of doing what was right
  Broken into pieces as day turned into night
  Life was but a simple dream, now all I see is red
  Broken into fragments by the Thunderhead

Riff D (Chorus):
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|0—0—0—0—0—0—6———|5———0—3———5—————|0—0—0—0—0—0—6———|5—0—00—05—0—00—0|
 Send the word a— head             Don't wanna be a—lone

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|0—0—0—0—0—0—6———|5———0—3———5———0—|1—0—0—0—1—0—0—0—|1—0—0—0—0———————|
 Time to wake the dead                 I'm coming   home

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|0—0—0—0—0—0—6———|5———0—3———5—————|0—0—0—0—0—0—6———|5—0—00—05—0—00—0|
 Send the word a— head             Now I'm cast in  stone

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|0—0—0—0—0—0—6———|5———0—3———5———0—|1—0—0—0—1—0—0—0—|1—0—0—0—0———————|
 Fear the  Thunderhead                 I'm coming   home    Thunderhead

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|1—0—0—0—1—0—0—0—|1—0—0—0—006—006—|1—0—0—0—1—0—0—0—|1—0—0—0—0———————|
     I'm coming   home    Thunderhead  I'm coming   home    Thunderhead

|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|1—0—0—0—1—0—0—0—|1—0—0—0—0———————||
     I'm coming...

Play Riff B 4 times

 (2nd verse)
  Everyone crying and burning and frying in my dream
  Everyone needs just a little bit more to believe
  Intention, no bleeding, thinking what I have to do
  Intention, more bleeding, I'm coming home for you

Play Riff C 4 times

 (Pre—Chorus)
  Life was but a simple dream of doing what was right
  Broken into pieces as day turned into night
  Life was but a simple dream, now all I see is red
  Broken into fragments by the Thunderhead

Play Riff D

 (Chorus)
  Send the word ahead, don't wanna be alone
  Time to wake the dead, I'm coming home
  Send the word ahead, now I'm cast in stone
  Fear the Thunderhead, I'm coming home (Thunderhead)
  I'm coming home (Thunderhead)
  I'm coming home (Thunderhead)
  I'm coming...

What follows is a short break (2 measures) for the guitar, filled by this 
part, let's call it Fill 1:

|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————4—7—||

Riff E is pretty much the follow—up for that, play it 4 times:

|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|6———6———6———6———|6———6———6———4—7—||

Riff F (Play 4 times):

|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————||
|3—2—22—2—2323232|3—2—22—2—2320———||

Riff G:

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|6—5—55—5—5656565|6—5—55—5—5653—5—|6—5—55—5—5656565|6—5—55—5—5650———|

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————||
|3—2—32—3—2323232|3—2—32—3—232——2—|3—2—32—3—2323232|3—2—32—3—232————||
|————————————————|————————————5———|————————————————|————————————0———||

Another guitar break follows, after 8 measures the bass enters together 
with the second guitar:

Fill 2:

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————0——————0————|————0——————0————|————0——————0————|————0——————0————|

|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|323232—3—2323232|323232—3—2323232|323232—3—2323232|323232—3—232————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————0———|

Play Riff C 2 times:

 (Pre—Chorus)
  Life was but a simple dream of doing what was right
  Broken into pieces as day turned into night

Play Riff D:

 (Chorus)
  Send the word ahead, don't wanna be alone
  Time to wake the dead, I'm coming home
  Send the word ahead, now I'm cast in stone
  Fear the Thunderhead, I'm coming home (Thunderhead)
  I'm coming home (Thunderhead)
  I'm coming home (Thunderhead)
  I'm coming...

Then repeat the chorus from the second "I'm coming home"
Then play Riff B 2 times:

 (3rd verse)
  Nothing but lying and killing and dying in this dream
  Anything better than what we had better believe

Then close with:

|————||
|————||
|————||
|1—0—||

Easy isn't it?

How to Read Bass Tabs

Bass tablature (tabs) is an easy way to learn songs without needing to read traditional sheet music. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the symbols and techniques commonly found in tabs:

1. The Basics

Strings and Frets:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your bass:
- The top line is the highest-pitched string (G on a 4-string bass).
- The bottom line is the lowest-pitched string (E on a 4-string bass).
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press. For example:
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------------------|
A|---3---------------|
E|-------------------|
            
```
This means you play the 3rd fret on the A string.

2. Common Techniques

Hammer-On (h):
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------5h7---------|
            
```
Pull-Off (p):
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------7p5---------|
            
```
Slide (/ or \):
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
```
G|-------------------|
D|-------5/7---------|
            
```

3. Advanced Techniques

Bend (b): Push the string up or down to raise the pitch. Example: G|-------7b9---------|
Vibrato (~): Shake the string slightly after playing a note to create a vibrating sound. Example: G|-------7~----------|
Muted Notes (x): Rest your finger lightly on the string without pressing a fret and pluck for a percussive "click" sound.

4. Rhythm and Timing

Tabs don’t always indicate timing, so listen to the song while reading the tab. Wider spaces between numbers mean longer pauses, while closer numbers indicate quicker notes.

5. Slap and Pop

Slap (s): Strike the string with the side of your thumb for a percussive sound.
Pop (p): Pull the string away from the fretboard and let it snap back.

Practice Makes Perfect

Tabs are a great tool to learn songs, but mastering the techniques takes practice. Listen carefully to the original track and play along to lock in the rhythm. Don’t rush — smooth, accurate playing is more important than speed. Happy jamming! 🎸

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Overkill — Thunderhead bass tabs