Thrash metal legends Exodus made a thunderous return to the stage with vocalist Rob Dukes for the first time in nearly 11 years during their set at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly. The show took place on Saturday, April 5, at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can watch some of the performances down below.
The performance marked Dukes’ return to fronting the Bay Area thrash pioneers, delivering a set packed with fan favorites and classic tracks. The band’s setlist for the evening was as follows:
- Bonded by Blood
- Exodus
- And Then There Were None
- A Lesson in Violence
- Metal Command
- Deathamphetamine
- Blacklist
- Piranha
- No Love
- Deliver Us to Evil
- The Toxic Waltz
- Strike of the Beast
Exodus announced Dukes’ return on January 15, confirming the departure of longtime vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza. The band issued the following statement via social media:
“Exodus have parted ways with Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza. We thank Steve for his years fronting the band and all the killer music we made during that time. We wish him only the best in the future and much success with anything he does.”
“And please help us welcome Rob Dukes back to Exodus! We are beyond stoked to have Rob back ripping up the stage with us and he’s looking forward to crushing everything like only he can.”
“Next chapter begins, new record rolls along as planned and the beatings will continue.”
Souza first joined Exodus in 1986 after serving as the frontman for Legacy, the band that would eventually become Testament. He remained with Exodus until their hiatus in 1993, later returning for a brief stint between 2002 and 2004. Rob Dukes took over vocal duties in 2005 following Souza’s departure and held the position until 2014, when Souza rejoined the band.
In a February interview with Mark Strigl, vocalist Rob Dukes opened up about how his return to Exodus came together, sharing that the offer to rejoin the band came as much of a surprise to him as it did to fans.
“How it happened was Lee [Altus, Exodus guitarist] and Gary [Holt, Exodus guitarist] called me, and Tom [Hunting, Exodus drummer] called me, and they all spoke to me individually to kind of see where I was at. And then they asked me, and I said, ‘Sure.'”
Dukes clarified that he wasn’t involved in the band’s decision to part ways with previous vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza, and said the reasons behind it remain with the other members.
“I’m not gonna talk about why they did what they did [as far as parting ways with Zetro] — that’s on them to talk about, ’cause I have no idea,” he said. “I mean, I kind of do, but it’s not my place. So, I’ll let them handle that end.”
The invitation to return came unexpectedly, Dukes added, despite remaining in regular contact with some band members over the years.
“I was as surprised as you, man,” Dukes admitted. “I mean, when I got the call… Me and Gary didn’t speak as much, but me and Tom talk all the time. Me and Lee constantly talk about hockey and give each other shit — I’m a Rangers fan; he’s a Flyers fan — so we’re always in contact, especially during hockey season. And then, like I said, man, it came out of nowhere for myself too. And I took a day and decided, ‘Yeah, okay, I can make it work.'”
Dukes, who has spent the last decade building a career as a car builder and welder, explained that he took the opportunity seriously, weighing the impact it would have on his current lifestyle.
“Cause I have to put my life on hold, the life I’ve been building for 10 years as a car builder and a welder. But I sat down with the people I work for and the people I work with and I explained the situation and they were all, like, ‘Yeah, go do it, man. You only live once.’ And I was, like, ‘Yeah, cool. That’s exactly how I was thinking about it.’ So, it all worked out, man. And everybody’s stoked and happy.”
Rob Dukes became a member of Exodus in January 2005 and went on to contribute vocals to four of the band’s studio albums: Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005), The Atrocity Exhibition… Exhibit A (2007), Let There Be Blood (2008)—a re-recording of their seminal 1985 debut Bonded by Blood and Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010).
With fan support high and the band moving forward with new momentum, Dukes’ return marks a new chapter for Exodus as they look ahead to fresh music and upcoming shows.
