A Spectre Is Haunting Europe

A Spectre Is Haunting Europe
A Spectre Is Haunting Europe, September 2004
Background information
Also known as	Decora
Origin	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Deathrock
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Simulacre
Associated acts	aLUnARED, Dupobs
Website	www.aspectreishauntingeurope.com

A Spectre Is Haunting Europe is a progressive deathrock band hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

A Spectre Is Haunting Europe formed in 2002, during the height of Vancouver's post-punk revival, and were initially billed as Decora. The band's activity was intermittent for the first two years, due mainly to lineup changes and the band's cross-membership with electropunk outfit Alunared (usually spelled aLUnARED). The name refers to the first sentence of The Communist Manifesto (1848).

It was not until 2004 that the band found a niche with its brand of politicized post-punk and subsequently changed its name to A Spectre Is Haunting Europe. Their first album, Astonishing Tales of the Sea, was released that year. Through a succession of different drummers, the band stretched this material in a few different directions at once, culminating in a caustic 2004 appearance at the Drop Dead Festival in New York City. In early 2006, former Skinny Puppy member Phil Western joined the group as drummer.

With their 2006 album, Flames, the band broadened their audience to include a more general indie rock audience. Their recordings have been reviewed extensively in music media.

In 2008 the band released its third album (Embers) as a creative commons free digital release.