Influenced by U.S. metal stalwarts Manilla Road, Warlord, Queensryche, Heir Apparent, Omen and Virgin Steele, as well as Celtic and French traditional music, HERZEL was formed by Thomas Guillesser, who was then joined by drummer Ion Philippon, guitarist Kévin Le Vern and bassist Mordiern Le Dissez. Second guitarist Gurvan Lardeux was the last piece to the puzzle, and shortly thereafter, HERZEL got to work on its debut demo, "Unis dans la gloire", which was released in 2015.
"Le Dernier Rempart"’s tracking began in February 2020 at Novomax studio in Quimper, France. However, due to the 2020 pandemic, the band had to wait until June and July to record the remaining instruments and vocals at Lardeux’s home studio. Despite these obstacles, "Le Dernier Rempart" represents a young band already coming into its own, brandishing a unique epic metal and Celtic music blend, complete with French lyrics. The songwriting process was often kickstarted by Guillesser, who brought riffs and melodies to HERZEL rehearsal where his bandmates put on the finishing touches. And since they were written over four years, the cuts on "Le Dernier Rempart" represent a distinct jump from "Unis dans la gloire" - HERZEL’s reliance on Breton artists like Dan Ar Braz, Alan Stivell, Glaz, Seven Reizh were used a starting point. To round out the mix, HERZEL injected heavy doses of American prog metal and Celtic music.