Chepstow Castle. Friday 28th August. Three absolute giants of heavy metal celebrated in one historic Welsh fortress.
Yeah… this could get LOUD. 😈🏰🔥
Castell Roc is cranking the amps all the way up with MONSTERS OF ROC, a night dedicated to the music of Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath, performed by three of the UK’s tribute acts.
And they’re doing it inside Chepstow Castle.
Metal.
In a castle.
In Wales.
C’MON BUTT! 🤘🏴🔥
🏰 MONSTERS ARE INVADING CHEPSTOW
Forget polite summer evenings with a picnic blanket and a flask of tea.
On Friday 28th August, Chepstow Castle is preparing for riffs, solos, galloping basslines and enough classic heavy metal anthems to have half of Monmouthshire throwing the horns.
Presented by Castell Roc, Monsters of Roc brings together:
🤘 Metallica Reloaded – UK Metallica tribute
✈️ Ed Force One – The UK’s tribute to Iron Maiden
💜 Children of the Gravy – Masters of Sabbath – celebrating the mighty Black Sabbath
That’s a pretty ridiculous amount of legendary metal packed into one evening.
⚡ METALLICA RELOADED
Metallica Reloaded will be bringing the crushing sound of Metallica to the castle walls.
We’re talking the sort of catalogue that contains some of the biggest metal songs ever recorded.
Enter Sandman. Master of Puppets. One. For Whom the Bell Tolls. Seek & Destroy. Creeping Death. Nothing Else Matters.
If those riffs don’t sound absolutely MASSIVE bouncing around a medieval Welsh castle, we’ll eat our battle jackets.
This isn’t going to be background music, mun.
This is neck-aching, fist-pumping territory. 🤘
✈️ ED FORCE ONE – UP THE IRONS!
Then there’s Ed Force One, bringing the music of Iron Maiden to Chepstow.
And let’s face it, Maiden songs practically belong somewhere surrounded by stone walls, history and the possibility of an undead mascot appearing over the battlements.
Expect soaring vocals, harmonised guitars and those unmistakable galloping rhythms that have powered generations of metalheads.
Whether you’re hoping for The Trooper, Run to the Hills, Fear of the Dark, Aces High or another slice of Maiden history, there’s one response:
SCREAM FOR ME, CHEPSTOW! 🤘
Someone had to say it.
💜 CHILDREN OF THE GRAVY – MASTERS OF SABBATH
You can’t celebrate legendary heavy metal without paying tribute to the band who helped start the whole bloody thing.
Children of the Gravy – Masters of Sabbath will be flying the flag for Black Sabbath.
Dark riffs.
Huge grooves.
Songs that basically wrote the rulebook for heavy metal.
Sabbath’s influence can be heard everywhere from doom and stoner rock to thrash, grunge and modern metal, and hearing those riffs in a castle after dark sounds gloriously appropriate.
War Pigs inside Chepstow Castle?
Iron Man echoing around medieval walls?
Paranoid with hundreds of metalheads singing along?
Ohhhh, tidy. 😈
🏰 HEAVY METAL IN A BLOODY CASTLE
That’s the bit we keep coming back to.
The venue.
Chepstow Castle.
Castell Roc already has one hell of a setting, but throw Metallica, Maiden and Sabbath classics into the equation and you’ve got something that feels less like a normal tribute show and more like somebody’s heavy metal fever dream.
There’s something beautifully ridiculous about hearing songs written for arenas and stadiums blasting out beneath the walls of one of Wales’ most spectacular historic locations.
No soulless box of a venue.
No boring conference centre.
A CASTLE.
Only in Wales, mun. 🏴🤘
🎟️ MONSTERS OF ROC – EVENT DETAILS
📍 Chepstow Castle
📅 Friday 28th August
🚪 Gates open: 6:30pm
🌙 Curfew: 11pm
Performing:
🔥 Metallica Reloaded – UK Metallica Tribute
🔥 Ed Force One – Iron Maiden Tribute
🔥 Children of the Gravy – Masters of Sabbath – Black Sabbath Tribute
Presented by Castell Roc.
🤘 THREE METAL LEGENDS. ONE WELSH CASTLE.
Metallica.
Iron Maiden.
Black Sabbath.
You’d struggle to pick three bands that have had a bigger impact on heavy metal.
Between them you’ve got the foundations of the genre, the rise of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and one of the bands that took thrash from the underground into stadiums around the planet.
Now their music is coming together for one massive tribute night in Chepstow.
So dig out the battle jacket.
Find the Maiden shirt that’s somehow survived approximately 700 washes.
Stretch the neck muscles.
And prepare to yell lyrics alongside a castle full of fellow rock and metal nutters.
Because on Friday 28th August, Chepstow Castle isn’t just going medieval.
It’s going METAL. 🔥🏰🤘
MONSTERS OF ROC IS COMING.
And The Riff Report absolutely approves of this level of Welsh riff-based nonsense.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. 🏴🤘
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘