Singer ROB DUKES Jokes : I'm the BLAZE BAILEY of EXODUS, Cause I am the third Singer

The Metal Voice recently interview singer Rob Dukes of Exodus and spoke about the bands 12th studio album called ‘Goliath’ which will be released on Napalm records on March 20th 2026.

Photo- Jim Louvau

Interview here

When asked about the fans' reaction of him being back in the band and on tour?

" I mean, it's been awesome, man. I mean, nobody's come up and said to me, "Hey, you suck." I mean, nobody's ever said that to my face. Uh, they say it online, but they don't ever say it to my face. It's been awesome, man. I mean, the fans have been killer. You know, we meet people before the show and they're always really stoked and happy we're here and then um the crowd reaction seems to be, you know, [ __ ] great, man. I mean, they're just singing along with the songs and having a blast and having a good time and everybody's big [ __ ] goofy grin on their face, you know what I mean? I'm sure I got one on my face. I'm happy to be back up there again, you know what I mean? And I acknowledge that. So, yeah, it's been uh it's been really good. "

When asked about the online polarization of him being back in the band

"Let me clarify. I don't read the online comments, but my people do and they kind of give me the synopsis. It's kind of like Blaze Bailey. Well, there's two things to do. I always jokingly said I'm the Blaze Bailey of [ __ ] Exodus. You know what I mean? Only because I was the third singer. So, but whatever. It's just that I look at it like this. I love music as much as everyone else. I would have never thought to go on a website and trash anything they do or even make a positive comment. I just don't, I'm not that guy. So, I don't I don't really get why people do it. But then again, I kind of get it. You know what I mean? You're captivated by music because when you hear a song, it puts you in a moment of time. It does. And that moment of time is forever encapsulated in your emotions. But now that there's like this internet and the websites and stuff, everyone can inject their opinion whether it means anything or not. I don't give a [ __ ] what people think of me. 99.9% of the people that talk [ __ ] about me have never [ __ ] met me. So, you could have your opinion. You're more than entitled to it. And that's fine. It doesn't affect my way I'm going to do things or the way I live my life or who I am as a person. You're not gonna do it it doesn't matter. So you can just keep talking [ __ ] It doesn't bug me."

When asked how he felt when he was asked to rejoin the band?

“I needed a day (to say yes). I had to talk with my family and uh and my people I work with. I have a whole another life. I've become a welder in the last 10 years and a fabricator and I work at a at a business and I uh you know work for myself and and I had to contemplate can I take this time off and go do tours and and still maintain my my life and and um so it took me a day to think about it and and then um I said yeah I said all right cool I'll go do it. “

When asked if he completed the Album Blood in, Blood out with his vocals before Zetro came back into the band

“Yeah. Nuclear Blast has it. It’s complete. Yeah,. I did the whole album “.

When asked how he felt when we was let go after Blood in Blood out

"I was [ __ ] pissed, man. It wasn't my identity, but it had become my livelihood and it was all taken from me, you know what I mean? And it was really bad timing. Um, Hurricane Sandy had happened and I had a lot of fallout from that from where I lived. Uh I lived in uh in North Jersey at the time and um uh it was just I I just got married and it was just I mean the worst [ __ ] timing and I I was really um I was angry about it at first but then when the anger subsided. I was terrified because now if I was just alone it was just me I wouldn't it wouldn't have been as bad. I think I would have handled it much better. But the fact that I had other people that I was responsible for it, it threw me for a for a loop and I was pretty angry for about a year and then uh then it subsided and then I just totally and moved on and uh I made my peace with it and um didn't hold the resentment or and let the anger go and and all that.”

When asked about the musical direction of the new album Goliath

"I just think it's Exodus, you know, in 2026, man. I mean, it's just evolutionary progress. It's a really really diverse record because it's absolutely Exodus. Especially Gary (Holt). There's just no denying that it's Exodus. It gives you curveballs. It gives you straight up [ __ ] thrash when you [ __ ] the way you want to hear it. The lead playing on this. I mean, Lee (Altus) and Gary were [ __ ] I mean, I watched him do every solo and it's [ __ ] phenomenal. Jack (Gibson) blew my mind with the way he played on this record. Jack would walk in and go, "What key is it in?" Okay. And then he'd [ __ ] just It was I mean, and Tom (Hunting), too. It's been uh it was an amazing experience

Even over 40 years after their debut, EXODUS are steadfast in their refusal to settle for the safety of mediocrity and continue to forge their trademark just as resolutely as they did in their fruition. The band's highly anticipated 12th studio album is their most multifaceted offering so far, featuring several epic collaborations and marking the return of Rob Dukes as lead vocalist. Secure your copy of Goliath now and check out the music video for the title track below!

EXODUS on “Goliath”:

"'Goliath' may quite possibly be the heaviest thing we have ever done, and certainly the slowest song in our catalog, as close to doom metal as Exodus we get! Just pure evil, as sinister as it gets, featuring our friend Katie Jacoby, who laid down 18 tracks of strings in the middle harmony section, making the song go from just pure horror to a thing of beauty."

Goliath wastes no time proving as massive as its name, with a sinister introduction opening “3111”. Ode to owning one’s own volatility “Hostis Humani Generis” features a palpable lyrical delivery from Rob Dukes that cuts like crystal amid frenetic riffs, before rolling into “The Changing Me”. The track’s introductory notes cascade into hair-raising rhythms, forming one of the band’s most anthemic offerings – blending menace and melody with the cleans of guest Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain) together with Tom Hunting and at the end both Peter and Robb scream off the song. Harmonic dual axe acrobatics from resident guitar legends Gary Holt and Lee Altus. “Promise You This” incites mosh pit treachery with explosive energy, cyclonic riffs and turbocharged soloing from Holt and Altus. Tracks like “Beyond The Event Horizon” and “2 Minutes Hate” provide EXODUS’ trademark deadly dose of thrash theatricality – the latter boasting one of the album’s most grimacing, grooving pit primers – while undeniably 90s-tinged metallic charm attacks alongside drummer Tom Hunting and bassist Jack Gibson’s unmistakable rhythmic rage on tracks like “Violence Works”. The nearly eight-minute epic “Summon Of The God Unknown” turns the danger dial to max capacity, setting the stage with a wicked introductory passage before traversing a variegated passage of trudging riffs and heavy metal melody. Power packed closer “The Dirtiest Of The Dozen” wraps the album on a manic high, showcasing EXODUS pulling out all the stops on all instruments. Flurried dueling solos, an isolated bass excursion, rigorous drum dexterity and a blend of both gritty vocal passages and cutting chants combine to serve as yet another prime example of the band’s ever-evolving musical mastery.

Produced by EXODUS, mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, Nile, Undeath), Goliath beams with the explosive authenticity that has set EXODUS eons apart from their peers since the release of their debut, 1985’s groundbreaking thrash blueprint Bonded By Blood. 40 years later, EXODUS are steadfast in their refusal to settle for the safety of mediocrity, fearing nothing and no one and continuing to forge their trademark just as resolutely as they did in their fruition.

Goliath tracklisting:

1 3111

2 Hostis Humani Generis

3 The Changing Me (feat. Peter Tägtgren)

4 Promise You This

5 Goliath (feat. Katie Jacoby)

6 Beyond The Event Horizon

7 2 Minutes Hate

8 Violence Works

9 Summon Of The God Unknown

10 The Dirtiest Of The Dozen

03/01/26: Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre

03/03/26: Halifax, NS @ Scotiabank Centre

03/04/26: Moncton, NB @ Avenir Centre

03/06/26: Québec, QC @ Videotron Centre

# without Megadeth

EU/UK Tour

w/ Kreator, Carcass, Nails

20.03.26 PT - Lisbon / MEO Arena

22.03.26 ES - Madrid / Palacio Vistalegre

24.03.26 FR - Paris / Zenith Paris

25.03.26 BE - Brussels / Ancienne Belgique

27.03.26 UK - London / O2 Academy Brixton

28.03.26 UK - Manchester / O2 Apollo Manchester

29.03.26 UK - Glasgow / O2 Academy Glasgow

31.03.26 LU - Esch-sur-Alzette / Rockhal

01.04.26 CH - Zurich / Halle 622

03.04.26 NL - ’s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) / Brabanthallen

04.04.26 DE - Essen / Grugahalle

05.04.26 DE - Frankfurt / Jahrhunderthalle

07.04.26 IT - Milan / Alcatraz

08.04.26 SI - Ljubljana / Media Center

09.04.26 AT - Vienna / Gasometer

10.04.26 DE - Ludwigsburg / MHP Arena

11.04.26 DE - Munich / Zenith

12.04.26 CZ - Prague / Forum Karlín

13.04.26 HU - Budapest / Barba Negra

15.04.26 PL - Warsaw / COS Torwar

17.04.26 DE - Hamburg / Inselparkhalle

18.04.26 DE - Berlin / Uber Eats Music Hall

20.04.26 LV - Riga / Palladium

21.04.26 FI - Helsinki / Black Box Finland OY

23.04.26 SE - Stockholm / Annexet

24.04.26 NO - Oslo / Sentrum Scene

25.04.26 DK - Copenhagen / Poolen

USA Tour

w/Sepultura

04/29/26: Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont

05/01/26: Montreal, QC @ MTELUS

05/02/26: London, ON @ London Music Hall

05/04/26: Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Theater

05/05/26: Louisville, KY @ Old Forester's Paristown Hall

05/06/26: Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl

05/07/26: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Heaven)

05/08/26: New Orleans, LA @ The Civic Theatre

05/11/26: Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Farm

05/12/26: Greensboro, NC @ Piedmont Hall

05/13/26: Reading, PA @ Reverb

05/15/26: Chicago, IL @ Ramova Theater

05/17/26: Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave

05/19/26: Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom

05/21/26: Denver, CO @ The Ogden Theatre

05/22/26: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot

05/23/26: Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club

05/25/26: Las Vegas, NV @ House Of Blues

05/26/26: San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park

05/28/26: Berkeley, CA @ UC Theatre

05/29/26: Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern

EXODUS is:

Tom Hunting - drums

Gary Holt - guitars

Jack Gibson - bass, backing vocals

Lee Altus - guitars

Rob Dukes - lead vocals

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