Québec City-based Bulgarian folk and black metal collective TSAR STANGRA have announced the release of their sophomore full-length album, Химните на разрушените светове (Hymns of the Broken Worlds), due out July 1, 2026 via GLOBMETAL PROMOTIONS. Alongside the announcement, the band has unveiled the new single, “Земни стражи” (“Guardians of the Earth”), offering another glimpse into what promises to be their most expansive and culturally ambitious work to date.
Written over the course of nearly a decade, Hymns of the Broken Worlds explores Bulgarian history, folklore, pagan ritual, exile, language, and cultural identity through a blend of black metal ferocity and traditional Balkan musical elements.
Founded by vocalist and tambura player Stanislav Stefanovski, TSAR STANGRA was created to preserve Bulgarian cultural heritage through extreme music. On the new album, that mission broadens into a meditation on displacement and belonging, reflecting the experience of creating deeply rooted cultural art while living far from home in Québec.
The album’s ten tracks travel through significant moments of Bulgarian history and mythology. Opening with “Тракийци – Черни химни за изгубените” (“Thracians – Black Hymns for the Lost Ones”), the record pays tribute to ancient ancestry before moving into “Хан Аспарух,” honoring the founder of the First Bulgarian Empire. Literary influences emerge through “Черна песен” (“Black Song”), inspired by the poetry of Dimcho Debelyanov, while songs such as “Тъга за Юг” (“Longing for the South”) and “Завръщането на родния бог” (“The Return of the Native God”) explore themes of exile, pagan spirituality, and cultural survival. The album concludes with “Българският език” (“Bulgarian Language”), a tribute to the enduring strength of Bulgarian identity.
The cover artwork, created by Paolo Girardi, visually captures the album’s central themes. Ancient Bulgarian Kukeri figures stand before the burning Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, symbolizing the collision of pagan ritual, Christian tradition, ancestral memory, and life in a new land.
Hymns of the Broken Worlds follows the band’s 2017 debut Небесният ковач (Celestial Forger), the 2023 single “Черна песен,” and the 2024 live release Битката за Фиорда – На живо в Сагене (The Battle of the Fjord – Live in Saguenay). Fans of Rotting Christ, Negură Bunget, Drudkh, Melechesh, Bathory, and Immortal will find a distinctive blend of folk tradition and atmospheric black metal rooted in authentic cultural storytelling.
Since evolving from Stanislav Stefanovski’s solo project into a full band in 2016, TSAR STANGRA have built a reputation within the underground black metal scene, appearing at Messe des Morts and Skogen Fest while sharing stages with artists including Tormentor, Mysticum, Seth, Ragnarok, Forteresse, and Arkona.
The current lineup consists of Stanislav Stefanovski (vocals, tambura), Olivier Vaillancourt-Girard (guitars), Samuel Paré (guitars), Wayne Barr (bass), Cindy Tecca (keyboards), and Simon Vaillancourt-Girard (drums).
Fans can hear the new single and learn more through the band’s official channels: