Dukes has stated in interviews that punk rock was his gateway into music in terms of angst and attitude, "it wasn't complicated music like metal was, three chords and scream...I can do that". He also plays guitar, claiming that he was "mediocre" but "having fun" at first, with Randy Rhoads as a huge influence, although it took him a month to learn Rhoads' acoustic piece "Dee" from Ozzy Osbourne'sBlizzard of Ozz album. On his beginnings as a singer, Dukes says, "I found out I could sing sitting in my room with an acoustic. I liked Maiden and Priest but could never sing that well, then I found Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus, S.O.D., Anthrax, Misfits and thought, 'I can sing like that'."
Career in Exodus
After being fired from a band he was part of in New York, Dukes rode his motorcycle on a 5-month, 11,000 mile trip to California, with no idea of career prospects. Despite considering a career as a scuba diving instructor, Dukes ended up working as a guitar tech after living in Hollywood for two months. He met and befriended Jeff Hickey, a long time friend of Exodus. While working for Exodus, Dukes played a demo tape that he composed in 1996 to guitarist Rick Hunolt and drummer Tom Hunting in case they needed a new vocalist. After Steve Souza's departure in 2004, Dukes was hired as the band's new vocalist and would make his debut on the 2005 album Shovel Headed Kill Machine. He would appear on the next three studio albums, one of which being 2008's Let There Be Blood, a re-recorded version of 1985's Bonded by Blood. On June 8, 2014, Exodus split with Dukes and reunited with Souza thereafter. Dukes lashed out at his former bandmates, and said that he had not spoken to them since his departure and addressed a 20-second phone call conversation he had with drummer Tom Hunting about the band's reunion with Souza. He blamed Testament vocalist Chuck Billy and their management for his dismissal. Billy denied responsibility, but suggested for Exodus to either find a new vocalist or return to Souza, "it made sense, but it wasn't me pushing it. It was just me presenting it to the guys, and the guys made the decision." Dukes recalled that there was no passion in the music before his departure and also criticized the material that the band was working on at the time, calling it "regurgitated shit that we had just done and done over and over again". He then explained that he experienced pressure towards the end of his time in Exodus, as he became a newlywed and was moving into a new home. On July 8, 2017, Dukes rejoined with Exodus to perform with them as part of a two-night stint event in San Francisco. He said that he's "totally at peace" over his firing and that performing with the band again "was a lot of fun, man; it was a lot of laughs. The show was great." He has since restored his friendship with the band. In a January 2019 interview, took ownership over his role in his deteriorating relationship with Exodus, crediting his conversation with Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and T.S.O.L. vocalist Jack Grisham.
Generation Kill
Dukes formed Generation Kill in 2008. They released Red White and Blood in 2011 and followed with We're All Gonna Die in 2013 and are currently working on a collaboration with former Run-D.M.C member Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels. The album has a working title of DMC Generation Kill and will also be produced by Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.;
Solo Career
In 2008, Dukes formed a solo project. His first self-titled EP was released on October 2, 2017 throughout all digital retailers.
