The Last Bastion Talk New Single, Favourite Instruments And More

Nov 1, 2025 | Interviews

Words by Glenn Sargeant

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By San PR

Rising UK heavy metal force, The Last Bastion have released their latest single ‘Legion Of The Damned’. We wanted to learn more and the band kindly spoke to us:

Who is in The Last Bastion, how did you meet and what do you play?

The Last Bastion is a heavy metal band, we all met through the music, Rob & Kev in 2022 as the founders of Bastion and Akos was a later addition in 2024.

Kev – Rhythm Guitar and Lead Vocals

Rob – Lead Guitar

Akos – Drums

What is your earliest musical memory?

Kev: I’ve been drawn to music for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, it started with singing in choirs and performing in plays — I definitely had a flair for entertainment from a young age.

By the time I was around 10, I picked up piano and trumpet, and that’s when I really started getting into the sound and feel of instruments. It became clear that music was more than just a hobby — it was a way for me to express myself. Around that time, I also started discovering classic rock, and I just fell in love with the emotion and energy in that music.

In my teens, I made the switch to guitar, and that’s when heavy metal really took over my life. Since then, I’ve never looked back. I’m still singing, still playing, and doing it all to the best of my ability — whatever people make of that!

Rob: I first started to play guitar when I was 12, I would always take my guitar to school and play on lunch breaks with some of the other kids. After about three years of doing this, we developed into a bit of a Metallica tribute band playing some of the classics from the black album as well as a few other rock tunes here and there. I spent time in a few different bands over the years before moving to Newcastle for Music college. So, you could say I was hooked from the moment I held my first guitar.

Akos:

I started learning piano at 9 years old and joined the school choir. When I was a teenager, I heard Metallica and quickly realised choir was not for me, so bunch of guys in the neighbourhood that was playing in a band and needed a drummer, so I bought an old drum kit from a wedding guy, got an acoustic guitar for my birthday, and I was hooked!

When did you begin songwriting?

Kev: Around the age of 14.

You have your new single ‘Legion Of The Damned’ out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Our new single ‘Legion of the Damned’ is our battle cry!

The inspiration behind the track was to capture what we do live, the unity of us as a band and the collective energy of the audience. We wanted to allow listeners an immersive experience of the high energy we bring to our live performances.

Where did you record the song and who produced it?

Legion of the Damned was recorded between Akos’s home studio and Bastion HQ (our rehearsal/recording studio). Akos produced the single and our previous album.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

Guitars:

Kev – Modified Jackson X Series Kelly KEXQ

Rob – Jackson X Series Rhoads RRX24

Microphone – Aston Origin Cardioid Condenser Microphone with Aston Halo Shadow Reflection Filter.

Drum – Alesis Strike Pro, Special Edition Electronic Drum Kit with Mesh Heads.

Software – Reaper, Digital Audio Workstation

Plugin – Akos have over 1000 plugin, he tries many of these to achieve the best tone…

Which of your tracks when you hear are you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

We will answer this question based on our debut album ‘Who We Are’ released June 2024, as we don’t want to spoil what’s coming next …

a) Who We Are; It allows us to share with our audience who we are and what we stand for.

b) Pay the Price

c) Screaming in Silence; It’s a track that everyone can relate to in one way or another.

Was it a difficult song to write?

Legion of the Damned? The writing process wasn’t difficult; it started from a riff idea and just developed naturally. The ideology was already there for the lyrical concept of the song.

Who designed the single artwork?

We did as a band; we had many conversations about what we wanted from the artwork and how the artwork would tie into the theme of the overall album.

Does the title have any significance/special meaning?

Legion of the Damned is about the collective audience and band experience, it’s about coming together and moving forward as a community.

The track is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

The thought process behind the music video was to focus on the symbolism for this track while giving our audience a glimpse into the themes of what’s to come in our next album. As a band we designed and edited the video to what we wanted.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Newcastle Upon Tyne: Historic, Northern, Proud, Loud and Wet (most of the year)

How do you look after your voices?

Kev: I am the only one who sings in the band, I keep my voice strong with vocal exercises and Vocalzone lozenges.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?

The remainder of 2025 will focus on the writing and recording process of some of our new song for the next album. From 2026, we have the following dates booked so far:

Feb 12^th – Trillians, Newcastle

Feb 13^th – Tap n Tumbler, Nottingham

Feb 14^th – The Metal Monocle, Leicester

May 2^nd – The Sub, Blackpool

Jun 4/5^th – Mountains of Metal Festival, Sheffield

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

Once we’ve left the stage, we hope to have left every ounce of energy out there — giving a performance that people truly feel long after the last note. And secondly, we want to forge a real connection with the crowd — that shared moment where the music, emotion, and chaos all come together, and everyone in the room feels part of something bigger.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Kev: Well… my rig is currently a bit of a rotating door…

I always use a Line 6 Helix to provide my tones and to apply a second output for the Bass tones (as we are without a bassist currently) underneath the guitar tone. I’m looking to upgrade to Helix Stadium in the future!

My guitars are forever changing, currently I play a modified Jackson X Series Kelly

KEXQ as my primary. Sometimes I switch between a Schecter E-1 FR S Special Edition or Dean VMNT Zero.

I have just ordered another guitar from a brand I’ve never used before, which I am really excited about. Keep your eyes on us to see what that is.

I primarily use a Shure Super 55 Deluxe for my Microphone.

And I run IEM’s (In Ear Monitors) to get the sound I want to hear from the band, and run my guitars wireless using Boss WL-50 Wireless Guitar System.

Rob: Jackson X Series Rhoads RRX24. I use a Line 6 Helix to craft my tones and a

Headrush FR112 Monitor.

Akos: TAMA drum kit with Evans drumheads and Zildjian S series cymbals,

Drumsticks Promark 5B… but I’ve been eyeing a new drum kit, so keep an eye on our socials.

All our instruments go through our on stage Behringer X32 Rack Digital Mixing Console and SubZero 16 Channel Stage box.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

We’d choose to write the score for “The Witcher” series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Its mix of dark fantasy, moral conflict, and raw human emotion fits perfectly with our sound — heavy, atmospheric, and charged with intensity. The world of The Witcher is brutal yet poetic, and we’d love to capture that balance between beauty and chaos, blending soaring melodies with crushing riffs to bring its world to life through music.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Each of us have a varied range of influences from many differing genres:

Kev: Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Motörhead and so many more…

Rob: Queen, Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Motörhead, Gary Moore, Eddie Van Halen

Akos: Jojo Mayor was my major influence, All things Death Metal

What makes The Last Bastion happy and what makes you unhappy?

We are most happy when we are together writing, composing, performing and engaging with an audience. What makes us unhappy is our day jobs, as it takes us away from doing what we love… the music.