Aesma Daeva

Aesma Daeva formed in Chicago in 1995, with Tony Scaglione on vocals, Jeff Whitehead on guitar, and Seth Van De Loo on bass. Their early years involved self-produced releases and touring while dealing with lineup changes. They put out their first album, 'Here Lies One Whose Name Was Written in Water,' in 2000, followed by 'The Eros of Futility' and then 'Dawn of the Shadows' in 2003.

Their song 'O Death (Rock Me Asleep)' from that 2003 album became their most recognizable track. It's a slow, heavy piece with lyrics about mortality that got some attention when it appeared in a video game. Other songs like 'Downvain' and 'The Camp of Souls' show their interest in atmospheric metal with mythological themes.

They kept a fairly low profile after that period, with their music circulating mostly among fans of dark, melodic metal. The band's sound never really fit into mainstream metal categories, which might explain why they developed a dedicated following without wider commercial breakthrough.