Exoto, a Belgian death metal band from Mol, was founded in 1989. Their early career began with the release of their first live demo Waiting for the Maggots in 1990, followed by the studio demo And Then You Die in February 1991, which was named Demo of the Month in the Dutch magazine Aardschok. The band released several demos and singles, including "Ashes...", before their debut album Carnival of Souls was issued in April 1994. Tragedy struck when founding member and drummer Didier Mertens died in a car accident that same year. Exoto continued to work on their second album A Thousand Dreams Ago, released in 1995, which was the first to be produced by Black Mark Production. The band disbanded shortly after but reunited in March 2013 for live performances and released Beyond the Depths of Hate in October 2014 as a tribute to Mertens.
