'I Blew Myself Out Making the Record the First Day' - How Exodus' Rob Dukes Learned to Scream

Our guest on this episode of How I Learned to Scream is Exodus vocalist Rob Dukes.

Earlier this year, he signed on for his second go at fronting the thrash legends. His original three-album tenure lasted from 2005 to 2014 and both times he's replaced classic vocalist Steve 'Zetro' Souza.

Exodus haven't missed a step, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Bonded By Blood on the road this year with Dukes. The timing of his return is a bit kismet as he also starred on the 2008 re-recording of that influential debut, dubbed Let There Be Blood.

Rob Dukes' First Audition for Exodus

Prior to first joining Exodus, Dukes really didn't have any experience doing vocals. He was actually touring with the band as their guitar tech and wound up crushing an unexpected audition as their new vocalist in the mid-2000s.

At the last show on a tour with Megadeth, Exodus asked him to sing "Deranged" with them onstage. A month later, they invited him to formally audition for the band and he sang "War Is My Shepherd" and "Bonded By Blood."

He continues, "A month later they said, 'Hey, you're the singer of Exodus. I'm like, 'Fuckin' a, let's do it.'"

And that was it!

How Rob Dukes Adjusting to Touring + Recorded

At first, Dukes was only going at full volume and had some trouble recording Shovel Headed Kill Machine, his first album with Exodus. "I blew myself out making the record the first day. The first song, I didn't talk for like two days. The rest of the record, I had this scratch that you don't hear on Exhibit B or A. Shovel has its own voice and it was all because I lost my voice the first day."

On the road, he struggled more with remembering the lyrics and delivering them in time since Exodus play at such high speeds, than he did with anything affecting his voice. "Singing along with the CD is fine, but when you're doing it with just the band it's completely fucking different," Dukes admits.

Sometimes he'll still accidentally switch verses, but he's improved a lot since that first tour. Stepping into such an experienced band having never done something like this before in your and becoming a total pro at is is a wildly rock 'n' roll story.

He's never missed a show, either. Once, while on tour in Brazil, a Brazilian soccer team's doctor (who was staying at the same hotel as Exodus) injected his throat with a steroid so he could perform a sold out show.

For even more on Dukes' story on how he learned to scream, watch the full episode below.

How Exodus' Rob Dukes Learned to Scream

Exodus in 2025 — New Album in the Works + Tour Dates

Exodus have been working on new material this year while welcoming Dukes back to the band. This next release will be their first with the vocalist since 2010's Exhibit B: The Human Condition and now exact timeline has been given as of yet.

In September, Exodus will appear at the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Kentucky and open for Slayer at Hershey Park Stadium in Pennsylvania, followed by an early October set at Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California.

They'll wrap up the year on the 40 Years of Blood tour with a South American trek from Oct. 9-18.

See all upcoming dates at the Exodus website.

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