Blot Heathen Interview featuring Orlando Li Mandri

RavenzCraft Arts Interview Project 2019 presents

Blot Heathen

A deep journey into the sounds from the Paleolithic era to the Viking ages, a project that blends ritual, ambient and tribal music.

Blòt was the ancient ritual used by the populations of the ancient Germanic-Scandinavian cults

Blòt Heathen it's a musical solo project by Orlando Li Mandri and founded in 2016 with Leonardo Sorrentino

1. First I just want to thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview project it is an inspiration to myself and many others to have the opportunity to speak with and get to know you and your perspectives on life and creating music,..

Can you first start off with a brief introduction, your name, where you are from, where you are now , band name, artist/performer name and a bit more about the inspiration behind the creation of "Blot Heathen"?

First of all I thank RavenzCraft Arts for giving me the opportunity to participate in this interview! My name is Orlando Li Mandri, I was born in Bologna and I still live here.

The project was born in 2015 when I proposed to a dear friend of mine, Leonardo Sorrentino, to make an album inspired by the rituals of ancient Scandinavian-Germanic populations, starting from the idea of ​​creating a "concept album" that would follow the procedure of a Blòt. Currently the project is solo, the duo unofficially dissolved in 2016, but we are thinking of starting to work together again.

2.What are some of the 1st things that inspired your interest in music and becoming a creator yourself? anyone in specific that inspired you or encouraged you personally? 
Any famous people or bands or even a special person in your life that pushed or inspired you to create ?

Well, since my childhood my parents have always made me feel so much music, from classical to rock, from reggae to folk. Surely bands like David Bowie, The Police, depeche mode, or classical artists like Debussy or Profokiev have certainly influenced my artistic training.

I started playing guitar at 15, taking private lessons for about three years. From 13 to 15 I listened to a bit of everything, but mainly nu-metal and trash-metal, falling in love with bands like Megadeth, Slipknot, Sepultura, Rammstein, Linking Park ...

At 16 I was hopelessly in love with electronic music , discovering artists like the Prodigy and Noisia, so I started to get involved and be fascinated by the Rave culture. From this experience the Predator Tekno project was born, which for some years has been at a standstill, but which I hold dear and with whom I have performed numerous concerts.

In 2014 a revelation came to me: Wardruna and Heilung. These two bands have certainly greatly influenced my recent musical career, and the Blòt Heathen project was born from the sound suggestion of these bands, inspired also by bands like Gjallarhorn, Forndom and Garmana.

3.What about today? who do you listen to? watch or read for pleasure or interest?

 any political leaders, artists , creators or people in the world today that you admire and are following currently?

Today I really listen to a lot of music, and all genres: dark ambient, OST, metal, neo-folk, rock, electronics, noise-power electronica, techno, psytrance ... in short, a bit of everything!

Undoubtedly I follow assiduously some artists like the Prodigy, for which the loss of Keith Flin, symbolic figure of fusion between the world of the rave and that of the punk, symbol of a by now passed generation. In addition to following high-level bands I follow many "small" emerging artists, or niche artists.

With regard to political leaders ... unfortunately I see such decadence and corruption in the world right now, that it is really difficult to identify a charismatic and positive leader, when in countries like the US and Brazil, people who have not come to power other purpose than its own profit and spread hatred and destruction among nations.

4.So if you dont mind lets jump into a more personal topic, your spiritual path, or following, can you share with us your beliefs and persectives of the world ?

does this influence your music or the way you create or express your artwork/music?

can you explain how you incorporate this within your music?

My spiritual path is very personal. I do not consider myself a pagan or an "asatruist", nor a religious. What I can say is that I believe in nature, in its strength and energy. If men gave the storm the name of "Thor", that's fine by me! it's just a way to shape that entity. I also deeply believe in shamanic culture, which I have been studying for some time, and in those forgotten rituals that bind us to our primordial "self", which date back to the origins of man.

All this transpires in my musical productions as a form of research of the ancient, of the ancestral, of the return to a forgotten past that would have to be re-valued. When I create my songs, I hope that the listener feels like a man from the ice age who has nothing but his interconnection forced with nature, with the spirit of survival, with primordial human strength. Or even feel present in an ancient ritual in which the natural forces (or gods) really walk by your side.

5.Does creating music\art help you? as an outlet?...do you want to inspire others with your work?

Certainly, making music is good for me, and I think everyone should do it. Increase sociability, your ability to create and imagination, and of course give great satisfaction, especially when your music is appreciated.

Inspire others? I think it's too much for me! I rather collaborate with others, to see what more minds can create together, combining often very different musical styles. In this regard, I announce that I am working with some Nordic-folk artists in a compilation of collaborations ... we will see what will come out of it!

6.What is the hardest part of being an artist or creator? and the greatest part?

The hardest part of being an artist? Knowing how to sell, promote yourself. it is a part where I am also enjoying myself, as I love taking photographs, making necklaces and making websites ... in short, creating a public image.

The most rewarding thing? Finishing a song or a musical instrument (yes, I'm a violin maker and producing ancient musical instruments like Talharpa and Kantele) and stopping to admire the work done. Sometimes I think I'm a little vain, there are weeks when I just listen to my productions and say "oh how cool am I?
Sure I could do better but ... damn, that's a bomb!"

7..what are your goals with your music and career? plans to take it up another level? new projects on the way?

My goals? Well, definitely try to share all the music I produce and make as many people as possible participate, because I firmly believe in "sharing". before the Blöt Heathen project I always thought that producing music was the most fun and interesting thing, in the last few years I have finally understood how much I love doing live performances, mainly all improvisations. And then, if every so often they bring some money home ... I don't complain!

8. Goals or accomplishments? do you have news or updates to share with us?

I have lots of news for the Blöt Heathen project !!!

First of all, we need to clarify a strong transformation that is taking place in the project: from a project born as a "Viking", albeit with a large scale of sounds foreign to the Nordic world, I am increasingly venturing into the age, in the Paleolithic, in the era of stone and ice. I feel it as an irresistible call to these ancient sounds. In fact I am working on two albums, both of which will be released on CD between 2019 and 2020, inspired by the glial age.

Other news are certainly the release of the album Blòt, the one recorded with Leonardo Sorrentino now five years ago and which represents the purest part of the Blöt Heathen project. Many will find this album significantly different than the rest of the previous productions, and to this must surely be given credit to Leonardo for having inserted his emotions and his instruments (in particular the didgeriddo) into the songs. The album will be released in a special limited edition on an elegant vinyl-style CD, of which we will shortly publish detailed studio photos.

Another announcement is the upcoming release of the "Awakening Gods" album on the Black Mara Records label, which produces CDs with an obsessive care, turning an album into a true work of art ... I love this label!

9.Wow well it seems you are a very busy and creative person, i can relate i am very much the same..so for this last question i just wanted to ask if  there is anything you want to personally share or say to the followers and other creators and artists out there? 

any words of wisdom or encouragement or advice for our future artists and musicians out there who may be listening and trying to create a career or projects of their own?

Listen to yourself, get out of the city, and immerse yourself in nature. Have a couple of days in the woods, in silence. Here, what I recommend to everyone is to practice silence for listening. Listening is something we now do less and less, that silent listening that allows us to feel who is inside us and what is around us.

Always take the time to listen to yourself and others.

Great Advice, I agree you must distance yourself from others and tune in to reach your full potential !

Well we thank you again for taking the time to talk with us and share some of your thoughts and inspiration behind your music
Follow Orlando and check out updates and new content from Blot Heathen at these links below

https://blotpaganmusic.bandcamp.com/album/blot



https://www.facebook.com/blotpaganmusic/



Check out this new music video teaser below


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onOtwaWcozA




Follow RavenzCraft Arts on Youtube here at


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC95bFF-xNLMcxAzRO7rFiCQ