Rob Dukes: From Metal to Mechanic

0:00On April 4th, Rob Dukes, the former frontman for thrash metal legends exodus, says getting booted from the band back in 2014 turned, out to be a huge win for him. Living in Arizona now, he's turned his love for car restoration into a full-time mechanic gig, building hot rides and custom rides with top-notch tools. And welders he's invested heavily in. That time off from touring, let him dive deep into the craft, taking welding classes and leveling up his skills with pros who knew their stuff. What started as a weekend of session, snowballed into serious work, giving him a fresh purpose while he was away from the stage. Dukes joined exodus in January 2005, replacing Steve Susa and belting out leaves on four albums, including Shovel-headed Kill Machine and Exhibit B, The Human Condition. He even laid down vocals for their acclaimed blood and blood out record before exiting, and he admitted feeling unhappy with the band's direction. Leading up to it, Susa, who'd fronted exodus off and on since the 80s, including stints

1:02with legacy, which became testament, came back in after Dukes left, keeping. The band rolling through their classic thrash sound. Fast forward to April 5th, 2025, and exodus hit the stage with Dukes for the first time in nearly 11 years at the decibel. Blending metal and beer fest in Philly's Fillmore, it's a wild full circle moment, blending his metal roots with that mechanic fire he's stoking now. That's your music news today update, AI-powered and always on.