Hellions Find Their Way Home Again
Hellions vocalist Dre Faivre chatted to The Note about the band’s reunion, the memories, the downtime and their acclaimed album, Opera Oblivia.
Words Will Oakeshott // Image Marty Rowney
It was almost seven years to the day that guitarist and original member Matt Gravolin of Sydney’s progressive hardcore outfit Hellions announced his departure. The quartet were about to embark on their Australian tour celebrating their fourth LP Rue, which would become Gravolin’s last journey as a Hellion; nevertheless, the band promised to forge ahead.
Ambivalently, the forward progression wavered until November 2025, when the four-piece announced their return with all founding members and their new exciting chapter.
Gratefully, The Note had the immense honour of catching up with vocalist Dre Faivre to discuss the reunion, the memories, the downtime, and the acclaimed Opera Oblivia.
“One never reaches home until kind paths intersect.” ‘24’, Opera Oblivia, Dre Faivre, Hellions (2016).
It is arguably one of the most revered themes in the writing realm, the topic of “home”. Whether in a fictional narrative (film or novel), a work of poetry, lyrics from a song, or even an array of idioms, such as: “Home is where the heart is”, “there’s no place like home”, “take me home, country roads”, “better be home soon”, “daylight come and me wan’ go home”…“Home” is, for the most part, a cherished subject matter; but more significantly it is generally a place of immeasurable comfort, as well as a feeling of heartening warmth, that countless people throughout the world can relate to, and importantly celebrate.
Approximately 10 years ago, when Sydney’s progressive hardcore pathfinders Hellions unleashed their commercially successful and critically acclaimed third studio album Opera Oblivia, the four-piece were, in all likelihood, blissfully oblivious of where that full-length would take them, and the opportunities that would come with the release.
Overseas touring and festival appearances, an ARIA nomination, the number four position on the esteemed ARIA albums chart and so much more became the exciting journey for the quartet. The heights of achievements that the New South Welshmen were reaching were worth exponentially more than a collective ‘Smile’, but eventually, a difficult encounter would hit a bit too close to home.
When Hellions were about to undertake their Australian tour for their fourth LP Rue in 2019, original member/guitarist Matt Gravolin announced that these five shows would be his last. Remaining members – vocalist Dre Faivre, guitarist Josh Campiao and drummer Anthony ‘Aff’ Caruso – vowed to carry on, and played sporadic shows for the following three years. However, their ‘Odyssey’ seemed to have met its closing chapter.
“One never reaches home until kind paths intersect.”
November 10, 2025, a thrilling social media post was shared by Hellions featuring the dates and cities: “27 DECEMBER | BRISBANE” and “31 DECEMBER | SYDNEY” respectively. February 5, 2026, Australian heavy and alternative music enthusiasts’ ‘Quality Of Life’ improved dramatically with the announcement of Hellions’ 10 Years Of OPERA OBLIVIA Tour. The band were back, the members’ paths had intersected, integrated, and they found their way home, together.
“Uhh, pretty much we just all got in contact. Like, we've all loosely been in contact, I guess, with each other. Wob (Guitarist Matt Gravolin) sort of went off and did his own thing, but we've all sort of loosely been in contact, but with nothing to do with music. Like, we've been friends since, like, far out, since we're like, 14 years old,” vocalist Faivre admits with a surprised laugh. “So, the gel wasn't against, like, music, it was the important life stuff. But, I guess, at the start of last year, we were just like, ‘Far out - why don't we just do something again and see where it goes from there?’ Then we asked Wob, and it was almost as if he was waiting for us to ask, or something like that! I mean, it wasn't a boredom thing - it wasn't, I guess, like waiting? He was just like, ‘Finally, we can do this again!’”
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Gravolin’s “own thing” was the enrapturing experimental folk rock outfit Agnes Manners, which came to its conclusion after two stunning albums and an array of scintillating singles. However, it would seem that the sweaty adrenaline-fuelled punk rock atmosphere was where Matt, Dre, Josh and Anthony felt most at home, and thankfully, that is where their respective paths had led.
“There was nothing like, I guess, ill-natured between any of us. [Essentially] everyone was all off doing their own things. Then I guess between all of us, we were sitting on so much…just songs and musical content, creative stuff like that between us. [Truthfully], I guess we haven't really seen the music space without each other - if that makes sense? Whether it be that we're a crutch for each other, or whether we're a champion for each other, stuff like that. So, it was kind of a bit spooky if we were going to do anything ourselves.”
Faivre pauses momentarily, as if rediscovering how wondrously strong the brotherly bond that Hellions possess is, then continues – “I can't really speak for Matt, but maybe it was for him? But then as soon as the phone call between us ended, immediately there was just songs being sent, and so much content that had been created through just us writing in general, like my own writing and then I guess, stuff that maybe Wob wasn't using through Agnes. But, I think, at the end of the day too, when we went into the studio, it was all fresh, we didn’t notice any of the pre-existing influences.”
If the news about the four-piece reuniting for a national tour to perform Opera Oblivia in full wasn’t enthralling enough, the announcement from Faivre that Hellions have already recorded new music is beyond electrifying. It then plagued this writer to ask, how much of the “downtime material” was used with these new exhilarating compositions?
“There definitely is. I think there's little moments where we took pieces from it, and I think a certain riff that was maybe written, like a few years ago, we used, but apart from that, we tried to really approach it like, ‘That was then’ (gesturing to the left with his hands), and ‘this is now’ (gesturing right). So [we thought], how do we update it? But also, how do we make it fresh and exciting for us when we're recording it? How's it translating now? Elements like that we really built on, and we really felt it in the moment.”
Literally having not slept overnight due to work commitments, Faivre was practically leaping out of his chair at his home with his impassioned vivacity for the new Hellions songs. It then felt necessary to ask if that was how energised the studio time was.
“Oh, it was sick, man!” he declares, before this scribe could even finish the question. “I think we definitely flourish in the studio. We like being in that space and creating - we love the studio. There are definitely times when you're not doing anything, and you're like, ‘What the fuck?’ [However,] We're definitely, I guess, like a big studio band. It might be to our detriment at times, but we definitely listen to each other a lot, as we're recording. So, you know, you get those things where it's like, ‘Bro, could you do it like this?’ Then there's that sassy, ‘alright, c**t’ (laughs). But we're very good at seeing an end product and trying each other's ideas.”
This is why Hellions is home for the four brothers, their boundless connection through artistry and friendship. With the new single ‘Fear Flow’ being released on May 5, there is certainly a lot to ‘Get Up!’ and be elated about with this new chapter for the Sydneysiders. However, being that their upcoming tour is in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the ARIA-nominated full-length, it felt pivotal to ask Faivre about his memories of that wonderful era of his life.
“triple j helped us out a lot. From memory, I think we got the feature album. I'm pretty sure we did. Yeah, I reckon so, I could be making it up. I don't know, it sounds good, that was a great platform,” he wonders, in hysterics (to clarify, they did). “The overseas touring, seeing other parts of the world and different cultures. Then the tours that we were put on at that time too, that really, really helped us. We did, I think a Northlane one, and we did a Deez Nuts one, actually they both pretty much showed us the world.”
Hellions have traversed many different paths both together and apart, but for now, it is time to celebrate at home. That is, until the ‘Theatre Of’ Hellions goes worldwide again.
Catch Hellions celebrating the 10th anniversary of Opera Oblivia at The Gov on Friday 8 May. Tickets on sale now via oztix.com.au.
