Overview
Dead Man's Ballad (デッドマンズバラッド) is a VOCALOID track by cosMo@暴走P (cosMo@Bousou-P), the prolific producer known for ultra-high-BPM compositions and a signature hyper-kinetic style. The song features dual vocalists, Hatsune Miku (初音ミク) and Otomachi Una (音街ウナ), trading and layering lines in a chaotic, macabre narrative about restless souls, decay, and a twisted invitation to "play nice." Originally released on the EP album STRANGE DOCUMENT 2020 (カイブンショ2020), which also contains companion pieces like "サイコパスラヴ" and "イマジナリイフレンド," the track runs at a relentless 300 BPM for its full 2:30 duration. In maimai, Dead Man's Ballad debuted as part of the cosMo@暴走P area in maimai DX UNiVERSE, where players could unlock it by accumulating 234 km of distance during the event period from September 16 to November 11, 2021, before it entered the general unlock rotation. The song's title, setting, and lyrical content, full of zombie-like imagery, broken speech, and guttural vocalizations, are faithfully reflected in its chart design, with the Master 14 (14.2) chart by サファ太 (Safata) and the Expert 12 (12.5) chart by シチミヘルツ (Shichimi Hertz) both demanding precise control at extreme speed.
Videos
Charts
DX
BASIC
5(5)
212 notesDesigner: -|Tap 186Hold 15Slide 3Touch 4Break 4
ADVANCED
8(8)
467 notesDesigner: -|Tap 363Hold 36Slide 26Touch 22Break 20
EXPERT
12(12.5)
818 notesDesigner: シチミヘルツ|Tap 635Hold 38Slide 51Touch 51Break 43
MASTER
14(14.2)
1208 notesDesigner: サファ太|Tap 718Hold 230Slide 97Touch 97Break 66
Trivia
- Dead Man's Ballad was initially unlockable in maimai DX UNiVERSE only through the cosMo@暴走P area, requiring players to accumulate 234 km of in-game distance between September 16 and November 11, 2021. It became generally available to all players on November 12, 2021.
- The Asian version of maimai received the song later, with an unlock date of January 27, 2022. The Chinese version followed in 舞萌DX 2022 on December 16, 2022.
- The song is one of several tracks from cosMo@暴走P's EP STRANGE DOCUMENT 2020 (カイブンショ2020), a release that also includes 'サイコパスラヴ' (Psychopath Love) and 'イマジナリイフレンド' (Imaginary Friend).
- The FULL SYNC achievement in maimai DX awards the title: 「ね゛え゛聞゛い゛て゛る゛？た゛ま゛に゛は゛仲゛良゛く゛し゛て゛く゛れ゛な゛い゛か゛な゛？ っ゛て゛」, a distorted, guttural callback to the song's own lyrics where the vocalist pleads, in broken voice, for occasional companionship.
- CosMo@暴走P also handled the music video production for this track, maintaining full creative control over the song's audio-visual identity.
- The lyrics are written from the perspective of a decaying, undead speaker who resents the living for keeping their distance, mixing dark humor ('Give me candy or I'll play a trick on you… hand over your life') with grotesque imagery of rotting brains and dangling corpses.
- At 300 BPM, Dead Man's Ballad ranks among the fastest songs in the maimai DX catalog, placing extreme demands on reading speed and slide accuracy across all difficulty levels.
FAQ
- Who composed Dead Man's Ballad for maimai?
- Dead Man's Ballad was composed, arranged, and produced by cosMo@暴走P (cosMo@Bousou-P), with lyrics also written by the same producer. The track features Hatsune Miku and Otomachi Una as vocalists.
- What album is Dead Man's Ballad from?
- The song is from cosMo@暴走P's EP album STRANGE DOCUMENT 2020 (カイブンショ2020), released in 2020.
- What version of maimai introduced Dead Man's Ballad?
- Dead Man's Ballad was added to maimai DX UNiVERSE on September 16, 2021, initially as an event unlock in the cosMo@暴走P area before becoming generally available on November 12, 2021.
- What difficulty levels are available for Dead Man's Ballad in maimai?
- The song has four DX chart difficulties: Basic at level 5 (5.0 constant), Advanced at level 8 (8.5 constant), Expert at level 12 (12.5 constant), and Master at level 14 (14.2 constant).
- Who designed the Expert and Master charts for Dead Man's Ballad?
- The Expert chart was designed by シチミヘルツ (Shichimi Hertz), and the Master chart was designed by サファ太 (Safata).
- What is the BPM of Dead Man's Ballad?
- The song runs at a constant 300 BPM, making it one of the fastest-paced tracks in the maimai DX song library.
- How long is Dead Man's Ballad?
- The full track length is 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
- What are the lyrics of Dead Man's Ballad about?
- The lyrics are narrated from the perspective of an undead, decaying speaker who bemoans how the living avoid them. The song mixes grotesque horror imagery, rotting brains, dangling corpses, guttural shrieks, with a twisted, playful tone ('Give me candy or I'll play a trick on you… hand over your life') and self-aware absurdity, as the speaker's own train of thought repeatedly breaks down mid-sentence.
