When legends whisper through the strings of a guitar and thunder in the pulse of a drumbeat, you know a real rocker has entered the stage. Meet Ultan, a name that might be new to the airwaves, but carries the soul of generations of rock ‘n’ roll rebellion. Born John Paul O’Prey in Belfast and raised on a diet of Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, and the thunder gods of the ‘60s through to the hair-whipping, amp-blasting icons of the ‘80s, Ultan is more than just a late bloomer—he’s a flame rekindled. A quinquagenarian who’s earned his grit in life and construction, Ultan emerges as a voice that doesn’t just echo the past—it demands to be heard in the now. His latest track “Wake Up” released on April 6, is exactly what its title commands—a sonic jolt to the heart and a fiery reminder that rock is far from dead.
“Wake Up” doesn’t ease in. It bursts open with a raw, driving guitar riff that sets the pace for what quickly becomes a relentless, fast-paced rock anthem. This is no hesitant introduction—it’s the sound of a man who knows exactly what he wants to say and is finally letting it rip through Marshall stacks and steel strings. The rhythm guitar thrashes forward like a freight train, immediately setting the tone: urgent, gritty, and gloriously loud.
There’s an unmistakable classic rock energy here, but Ultan doesn’t just imitate—he invigorates. Think AC/DC attitude, Motorhead muscle, and Bon Jovi’s melodic bite, fused together with a subtle yet tasteful undercurrent of Rhythm & Blues swagger. Ultan’s vocals are everything a rock anthem needs: commanding, coarse in just the right places, and completely unfiltered. There’s no studio sheen hiding behind effects here—just a powerful, real voice that carries decades of untold stories, late-night philosophies, and working man’s grit. The way he hits the chorus with full throttle energy, lifting it with that hooky, anthemic power, is the stuff that makes stadiums sing along.
His delivery is confident and alive, oozing conviction. I felt like he’s singing not just to me, but for me; as if he’s been waiting his whole life for this moment to roar. The chorus doesn’t just land—it hits like a hammer wrapped in velvet, gritty but tuneful, with the kind of melodic insistence that gets stuck in your head for days.
Lyrically, “Wake Up” plays like a rallying cry—not just to you, but to himself and maybe even to a whole generation that’s let their fire dim. The theme is one of renewal, urgency, and reclaiming your power, whether that’s personal, political, or artistic. It’s a call to shake off complacency, to dust off your boots, and charge forward into whatever life throws next. And coming from someone who’s lived, worked, written, and waited his time, these words aren’t just poetic—they’re authentic.
The production here is tight and punchy, with the guitars sitting right where they need to—front and center—while the drums pound away with a heartbeat-like precision. The bass line growls underneath, anchoring the entire track with a rumble you can feel in your chest. It’s a clean mix, but it retains the edge and dirt that a real rock record should never polish away. Ultan isn’t trying to fit into modern radio molds; he’s reminding us what music sounded like before it got over-processed. This is fast-paced rock done right—no gimmicks, no fluff, just raw energy with melodic sensibility. Every section flows seamlessly into the next, building tension and then exploding in perfectly-timed payoffs.
Ultan is the real deal. Not some manufactured act or nostalgia trip, but an artist who has lived through the golden age of rock and now, at full creative throttle, adds his own chapter. With “Wake Up,” he proves that passion doesn’t fade—it just waits for the right moment to ignite. So if you’re craving genuine rock ‘n’ roll energy with soul, spirit, and a voice that commands the room, Ultan is your man. Turn up the volume, hit play, and wake up to the sound of a rocker reborn.
Listen to “Wake Up” on SoundCloud
