Exodus have regrouped with former frontman Steve 'Zetro' Souza, they've confirmed – and split with Rob Dukes after nine years together.
It’s Souza’s third stint with the thrash icons after he joined in 1986 and left in 1993, then rejoined in 2002 and left again two years later. He’d been talking up a reunion since 2011.
Guitarist Gary Holt reports: “As a band we had to make a very difficult choice to part ways with Rob. We have nothing but love and admiration for him, and the deepest gratitude for the hard work he’s put in, and the great work on some killer records.
“But at this time we thought a change was necessary – and the unanimous choice was to welcome back Steve to the fold.”
The next Exodus show is set for July 11 at the Bang Your Head festival in Germany. The band have been working on what will be their tenth studio album, although it’s not known whether Dukes’ vocal tracks will be replaced.
Three years ago Souza – who’s been fronting Hatriot since 2010 – began making it clear he’d like to rejoin, saying: “It would be great for the fans. How great would it be to see Zetro up there again singing The Toxic Waltz, Cajun Hell and all the good ones?”
But Holt objected to his method, saying: “Lobbying through the press to convince me to give him his job back just got under my skin. Rob is not a place-holder in Exodus – he’s our singer.”
