As I wrote in my Zetrodus intro, I’ve been #TeamZetro since I was a greasy-headed 80’s tween, so it took me a while to give Rob Dukes a chance. But, once I got over my own biases and judged the records of his era on their own merits, they’re really damned good. Here’s a sampling of nine tracks from his three albums with Exodus (I’m purposely omitting Let There Be Blood, which is just a re-recording of Bonded By Blood) that are different in many ways from the Zetro albums, but are still 100% certified bangers.
The Dukes era is known for more expansive tracks, but we start off with three short bangers that show that he can deliver a three-minute thrashic. All of the Exodus hallmarks are here: blistering solos, Tom Hunting’s propulsive drums, and Gary Holt’s acerbic lyrics abound.
The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit B is generally regarded as too long and unfocused, but this taut four-minute speed demon stands up against the band’s best. The mid-section solos by Lee Altus and Holt are fantastic and Dukes pours all of his rage into the vocals. Say what you will about the album, but this is an undisputed banger.
A little slower pace here, but the riff is heavy as hell. Paul Bostaph feels different on drums, but the double-bass is still on point. If you’re not convinced this is a 100% banger on first listen, give it a chance to work its magic: I wake up with this song in my head more than any other Exodus track.
Here’s where we get into the meat of what the Dukes era is all about. The longer track length gives the band a bit more room to breathe, and Altus, as songwriter, adds some intricacy and downright progressiveness that isn’t often there in a 3-minute thrasher. Dukes also adds some clean vocals in the chorus that simply wouldn’t happen with Zetro. The mid-section is fantastic: Altus and Holt trade off solos, and then transition into a 3-part harmony with bassist Jack Gibson that gives chills. One of my all-time favorite Exodus tracks, regardless of the era.
A needed short 3-minute thrash palate-cleanser with a dirty breakdown in the mid-section that is some of the band’s heaviest. You can tell the difference here with Bostaph’s heavy use of snares, which fits the track perfectly. I’m not sure what a shovel headed kill machine is, but it’s pretty damned brutal.
Another longer track that establishes a pretty simple riff and runs with it, but really hits its stride at the 2:50 mark, when it transitions to one of my favorite Holt riffs of all time. The section starting at 3:30 is fantastic: brilliant riff and an even better solo. Tom Hunting is out of his mind throughout.
Does it sound a bit Metallica in the chorus? Yeah, probably. But James hasn’t written a riff like this in decades, and Kirk hasn’t been allowed to rip off a solo like either of these since, well, he was in Exodus.
Another track that shows the difference between Bostaph’s and Hunting’s styles: the heavy use of snare gives this a militant feel that probably wouldn’t be there with Hunting’s preferred toms. Jack Gibson gets a chance to shine with a brief bass solo that establishes the riff in the mid-section, which transitions to almost a death-and-roll era Carcass vibe.
We end with another Altus-Dukes collaboration that is among my favorite tracks the band has ever done. I love the atmospheric acoustic intro with the twin guitars which then transitions into a full-on thrash-fest with some machine gun riffing in the mid-section. The solos here are absolute scorchers, first by Altus and then by Holt, and then finished with a twin guitar attack that’ll have you thinking of Dragonforce. Top it off with some of Dukes’ best lyrics about the serial killer pair Leonard Lake and Charles Ng and you have a modern Exodus classic.
And there you have it: nine certified bangers that will make even the biggest Dukesodus skeptic sit up and take note. Now that spring has officially sprung, drop the windows in your sensible sedan and show the neighborhood teens that the greybeards still know how to thrash.
