Bio
A former punk rocker who sold out the revolution, Hemlock now serves as Harmony Corp’s number one enforcer, unleashing his vandalism-prone fans anywhere he points. His fight is the second Idol on the standard route and the first true beat ’em up gear-check in Dead as Disco — Hemlock blends boss attacks with two waves of fan adds at 168–172 BPM, forcing aggressive crowd control while you keep rhythm. The fight plays Burn the Stage in P1 and Sold Out in P2; Hard Mode swaps P2 to Maniac (Punk Version) at 178 BPM. Beating Hemlock unlocks the Tempo Window accessory, which is mandatory for every later 180+ BPM Idol (Dex P3, Blood P4).
Attack pattern table
| Phase | Attack | Tell | Counter | Punish window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Mic Stand Sweep | Wide horizontal swing on beat 1, telegraphed by a 2-beat windup with the mic raised overhead | Jump on beat 1, then Heavy on landing | Full bar — 4 light hits |
| P1 | Fan Rush | Hemlock points at the crowd. 3–4 fan adds spawn from the pit on beat 3 | AOE Heavy on the cluster, then back to Hemlock. Crowd Sweep ability one-shots the wave | After the wave clears, 2 beats of pressure |
| P1 | Bottle Toss | Bottle held aloft for 1 bar before the throw | Side-strafe on beat 4 — do not parry, the bottle counts as ranged | Light × 3 during recovery |
| P2 | Feedback Slam | Amplifier glow + screen shake, holds for 2 beats | Parry on the slam beat — Perfect parry refunds 1 Special segment | 3 beats stagger, finish with Heavy → Special |
| P2 | Power Chord Wave | Hemlock plants his feet, guitar arc visible | Dodge through, never away — the wave clips you on the back step | Light × 2 once you are behind him |
| P2 | Punk Encore (Hard only) | BPM ramps to 178, screen edge flickers red | Equip Tempo Window. Parry every odd beat, Heavy on every even beat | Special only |
Recommended combos
| Phase | Combo | Note |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | Heavy → Light × 2 → Heavy | AOE finisher cleans the fan-rush wave while pressuring Hemlock. Single best opener. |
| P1 | Light × 4 → Heavy | Stays on the 168 BPM downbeat. Use when you have no adds. |
| P2 | Parry → Heavy → Special | Burst the Feedback Slam stagger before he resets. ~38% of his P2 health bar. |
| P2 | Dodge → Light × 3 | Power Chord Wave punish — back behind him, ride the bar to a clean Special build. |
| P2 (Hard) | Parry → Parry → Special | Punk Encore is a DPS race. Tempo Window + Parry+ together close P2 in two cycles. |
Top tips
- Prioritize fan adds — they will break your combo meter if ignored, and a single fan hit costs you S-rank.
- Punk Rock BPM is fast: use Light combos rather than Heavy to stay on the beat. Heavy is only for stagger windows.
- Stand close to bait the Mic Stand Sweep so you can jump-cancel into Heavy.
- Bring the Crowd Sweep ability (Hemlock S-rank on Normal) for a clean Hard run — it one-shots the Fan Rush wave instead of forcing 4 swings.
- For S-rank: keep Combo Meter ≥85%, Perfect rate ≥72%, Misses ≤3. Fan adds count as Miss if they connect.
- For the Hemlock Quest, you must destroy both Sparkle Speakers in this stage in a single run. They sit stage-right after the second fan rush, and stage-left of the P2 amplifier wall.
- Hard Mode P2 swaps the song to Maniac (Punk Version) at 178 BPM. Equip Tempo Window from your standard run before re-entering on Hard.
- If you struggle with the Mic Stand Sweep, drop bloom to 30% and turn on High-Contrast Outlines — the silhouette tell becomes obvious.
FAQ
How do I beat Hemlock in Dead as Disco?
Hemlock is a Punk Rock fight at 160–172 BPM across 2 phases. Prioritize fan adds — they will break your combo meter if ignored, and a single fan hit costs you S-rank. Punk Rock BPM is fast: use Light combos rather than Heavy to stay on the beat. Heavy is only for stagger windows. Stand close to bait the Mic Stand Sweep so you can jump-cancel into Heavy. Bring the Crowd Sweep ability (Hemlock S-rank on Normal) for a clean Hard run — it one-shots the Fan Rush wave instead of forcing 4 swings. For S-rank: keep Combo Meter ≥85%, Perfect rate ≥72%, Misses ≤3. Fan adds count as Miss if they connect. For the Hemlock Quest, you must destroy both Sparkle Speakers in this stage in a single run. They sit stage-right after the second fan rush, and stage-left of the P2 amplifier wall. Hard Mode P2 swaps the song to Maniac (Punk Version) at 178 BPM. Equip Tempo Window from your standard run before re-entering on Hard. If you struggle with the Mic Stand Sweep, drop bloom to 30% and turn on High-Contrast Outlines — the silhouette tell becomes obvious.
What BPM is Hemlock in Dead as Disco?
Hemlock fights at 160–172 BPM. Adjust your combo speed to 160–172 for the best Perfect-window rate.
Where do I unlock Hemlock?
Hemlock is unlocked via Story Chapter 2.
More: All Idol bosses · Combo list · Tier list