Something ancient stirs again beneath the stones of Rome. The Italian blackened death metal entity Patristic has released the new standalone material “Apologetica MMXXVI”, now available for streaming and download via Bandcamp. Issued independently on 13 March 2026, as reported by the group, the track arrives as the band prepares to embark on a European tour alongside Norwegian black metal veterans Gorgoroth this week and prepares the apparition at Underground for the Masses III [Quantic, Bucharest, Romania].
Mixed and mastered by Gabriele Gramaglia, adorned with artwork by Belial Necroarts, and supported in its live campaign by Death Over Rome Bookings, the nearly nine-minute composition emerges as the most recent invocation from the Roman project spearheaded by Enrico Schettino.
A Treatise Written in Iron and Ash
In the language of early creeds and darker disputations, “Apologetica MMXXVI” extends the philosophical spine of Patristic’s work. According to the band, the track is now available through their Bandcamp page, while additional digital platforms are expected to follow soon.
Running for eight minutes and fifty-four seconds, the single stands as a renewed interpretation of the “Apologetica” concept first introduced in the band’s 2022 EP.
As mentioned by the group, this new iteration sharpens the blade of that original idea, reframing it through the lens of their evolving sound and thematic obsession with early Christian thought, pagan resistance, and gnostic echoes buried in the margins of history.
The production was handled by Gabriele Gramaglia, whose mix and mastering shape the composition into a dense, cathedral-like resonance, while Belial Necroarts provides the visual counterpart, a piece of artwork that mirrors the band’s fascination with theological shadow and historical ruin.
Roads of Fire and Amplifiers
No proclamation is complete without witnesses. Beginning this week, Patristic will carry the new single onto European stages as part of a tour with Gorgoroth, a name whose reputation in black metal circles requires little explanation.
According to the band, the itinerary unfolds across Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy:
19.03.2026 – Leipzig [DE]/Hellraiser;
20.03.2026 – Mannheim [DE]/MS Connexion;
21.03.2026 – Amstelveen [NL]/P60;
22.03.2026 – Uden [NL]/De Pul;
24.03.2026 – Kortrijk [BE]/DVG;
25.03.2026 – Paris [FR]/Petit Bain;
26.03.2026 – Sion [CH]/Le Port Franc;
27.03.2026 – Bludenz [AT]/Stadtsaal;
28.03.2026 – San Donà di Piave [IT]/Revolver;
29.03.2026 – Milan [IT]/Legend Club.
The Gathering in Bucharest
Before the spring has finished tightening its grip on the continent, Patristic will also appear at Underground for the Masses III, scheduled to take place in Bucharest between 23 and 25 April 2026.
As mentioned by the band, their participation in the event will place them among a line-up dedicated to the harsher and more uncompromising edges of the underground metal spectrum. For Patristic, the festival appearance represents another step in bringing their theological and historical explorations to a broader European audience.
Official announcement poster
© Anca Kivart
The Roman Conclave
Formed in 2022 in Rome, Patristic exists as a project led by Enrico Schettino, also known for his work with Hideous Divinity. The band operates within the territory where blackened death metal intersects with historical and philosophical inquiry.
Their name derives from Patristics, the study of early Christian writers known as the Church Fathers. According to the band, this intellectual tradition serves as the conceptual foundation of their work, inspiring lyrics and imagery rooted in early theological disputes, pagan memory, and gnostic speculation.
Since their formation, Patristic have built a concise but deliberate discography: the “Apologetica” EP in 2022, the full-length “Catechesis” in 2025, and now the single “Apologetica MMXXVI” in 2026.
And so the chronicle continues; not with proclamations of salvation, but with riffs carved like marginalia in forgotten scripture.
The Presences
Enrico Schettino [guitars];
Sathrath [drums];
Lorenzo Sassi [vocals].
Official Pages
Bandcamp: https://patristic.bandcamp.com/;
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Patristicblackmetal;
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patristic_blackmetal.
