Thrash titans Exodus are deep into the creation of their follow-up to 2021’s Persona Non Grata and returning vocalist Rob Dukes is offering a glimpse into what fans can expect. In a recent conversation with Nikki Blakk of 107.7 The Bone, Dukes shared insights into the recording process and the sonic direction of the new material.
He said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “We are tracking vocals right now. Well, they’re pretty much doing everything, so they got the drums done and then some guitars and they’re doing the rhythms and all that. And then me and Jack, him doing the bass, we kind of trade off and on days, ’cause I can only go for two or three hours and then I’m kind of spent for the day until the next day.”
When questioned about the number of tracks on the upcoming Exodus release, Dukes revealed: “It’s 11. And it’s f**king heavy as f**k, man. I mean, it is f**king heavy and dark and cool. But what’s surprising to me about it was there was a little bit of Mötorhead-y rock stuff going on. I’m, like, ‘Oh, cool, man. This is a little departure from the norm.’ It was really cool. And so I get to step outside the box a little bit, which is nice, man. It’s kind of cool. Good challenge.”
Elaborating further on the album’s sound and its place within the Exodus discography, Rob explained: “Well, Exodus is always gonna sound like Exodus because they don’t sound like anybody else. And that’s just Gary and Tom and Lee. The way they do things is just different.”
He continued, offering a tantalizing preview: “I really can’t compare it to anything else, but there are elements of everything, but they’ve stepped outside those elements also, and they’re doing a couple things that I’m, like, ‘Wow, that’s f**king new. All right, cool. Yeah, I’m in.’ You know what I mean? And it’ll be cool, man. And it doesn’t take away from the f**king heaviness of it or anything. It’s just a little different, but it’s f**king cool.”
Dukes emphasized the band’s enduring power within the thrash scene, stating that Exodus is still “definitely setting the bar pretty high when it comes to thrash. I mean, Gary and Tom, they’re just f**king unbelievable, man,” he said. “And I feel really honored and privileged to be a part of it.”
Reflecting on his unexpected return to the band after a decade, Dukes shared: “It’s like a crazy thing to happen. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t know I was getting a phone call before I got it. And I had to think about it, you know what I mean? I have a whole life that I built up. So it was kind of, like, ‘All right, well, let me talk about it and think about it.’ And then I was, like, ‘All right, cool. Let’s do it, man. Let’s go have fun.’ Yeah.”
The call came unexpectedly around the holiday season: “I found out right around Christmas,” he revealed. “I forget what day it was. It was right around Christmas, though. But yeah. And, yeah, I immediately started listening to… They gave me a list of songs that are possibly in the setlist moving forward, and then the setlist for this show. I’ve been listening every day and just trying to remember the words and the phrasings and stuff.”
Exodus marked Dukes‘ return with a live performance on April 5th at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly. This reunion followed the January announcement that Exodus and longtime vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza had parted ways.
Souza‘s history with Exodus dates back to 1986, after his time with Legacy (later known as Testament). He was with the band until their 1993 hiatus and rejoined for a two-year stint in the early 2000s. Dukes initially joined Exodus in 2005, following Souza‘s departure, and contributed to four of their studio albums: Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005), The Atrocity Exhibition… Exhibit A (2007), Let There Be Blood (2008), and Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010). Souza then rejoined the band in 2014, leading to Dukes‘ recent return.
