When Rob Dukes got the call to rejoin Exodus, it came as a complete surprise. “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,” he recalled in a recent interview with Nikki Blakk of San Francisco’s 107.7 The Bone (transcribed by Blabbermouth).
“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.”
That unexpected phone call, which came right around Christmas, marked the start of a new chapter for Exodus and for Dukes, who had been away from the band for a decade. As Exodus gears up for the release of their follow-up to Persona Non Grata, the energy around the band feels both familiar and freshly energized.
"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,” Dukes explained. “And then me and Jack [Gibson, bassist], 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."
The new album will feature 11 tracks. “It's 11. And it's fucking heavy as fuck, man. I mean, it is fucking heavy and dark and cool,” Dukes emphasized. But he was quick to point out that the material isn't one-note. “There was a little bit of Motörhead-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."
When asked how this new material compares to the band’s past work, Dukes was clear: Exodus will always sound like Exodus. “Well, Exodus is always gonna sound like Exodus because they don't sound like anybody else. And that's just Gary [Holt, guitarist] and Tom [Hunting, drummer], and Lee [Altus, guitarist]. The way they do things is just different."
“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 fucking new. All right, cool. Yeah, I'm in.' You know what I mean?” he added. “And it'll be cool, man. And it doesn't take away from the fucking heaviness of it or anything. It's just a little different, but it's fucking cool."
Despite the changes, the band remains firmly rooted in the thrash metal tradition they helped define. Dukes said Exodus is still “definitely setting the bar pretty high when it comes to thrash. I mean, Gary and Tom, they're just fucking unbelievable, man. And I feel really honored and privileged to be a part of it."
Getting back into the swing of things has brought its own challenges — especially with 2025 marking the 40th anniversary of Bonded By Blood, the band’s iconic debut. “This album has been with me so long, I feel stupid when I don't remember [some of the words],” Dukes admitted. “But one thing I do is I kind of… It's like this thing when you think about something that's coming up that you have trouble remembering. You're not in the moment that you're in, and then that moment becomes compromised. And so I've been jumping lines. But I've been okay with it.”
“I actually remembered a lot more than I thought I was gonna, and I did a rehearsal two days ago and I didn't use any notes. And I kind of realized, 'Okay, so this is the one I'm having trouble with. This one I'm having trouble with.' So, I made notes for those. But we'll see, man. It'll be all right."
Remembering lyrics is one thing—remembering where you are is another. “I always had a thing, like when I would tour, I would use a cheat sheet for a couple shows and then three or four shows in, I didn't need it anymore,” Dukes said. “But for a couple shows I would rely on it because I would [be, like], 'What's the first word of that verse?' And it was coming up and I wouldn't remember it. And then I looked down and go, 'Oh, okay. That's it.' And once I knew the first word, I was fine. And then muscle memory came in. And, like I said, four or five shows, I didn't need it anymore. I stopped doing it. I just have to write what city I was in, 'cause I would forget. I've said the wrong city a couple of times, which is quite embarrassing. I try to make a joke about it."
Exodus played their first show with Dukes back in the fold on April 5 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly, held at the Fillmore in Philadelphia. That performance was the band’s first with him in nearly 11 years.
