Almost unwatchable in places, "Last Days Here" is a documentary about the fall, fall, fall and rise of heavy metal doom band Pentagram's lead singer Bobby Lieibling, directed by Don Argott and Demian Fention.
In the early 1970s, Pentagram were going to be huge. But they were mammoth fuck ups. Showing up late to be auditioned by Kiss, insulting producer Murray Krugman who was recording their demo and just got up and left.
Or rather Bobby Liebling. And this documentary of how he found his way back from a heroin addicted crack smoking himself to death to a resurrected rock and roll beast is remarkable. BUT PAINFUL.
I am not insane about heavy metal but the early Pentagram stuff on their compilation First Daze Here needs no excuse whatsoever from me. It is outrageously great hard metal with a great vocalist -who can sound an awful lot like Jim Morrison, and stunning guitar. You can believe it should make it big. And When Sean Pelletier, a vinyl junkie addicted to music hears it, it changes his life.
So Sean tracks Bobby down. Bobby has been hiding in his parents "sub-basement" since a disastrous set at a DC club essentially ended his career. When Sean finds him, the man is broken and, really, these portions, are just horrible. Very very painful. Bobby looks like a terrifying dead man walking, pulling at his skin while he claims parasites are eating him alive.
The movie is the story of what happens next and I am loath not to let you watch it the same way I did. So I won't tell you what happens next. I will say, this is a serious movie with powerful intentions and a very moving thing about spiritual redemption and true love.
I do have one major complaint, the directors never let the music speak for itself. A couple of times, they should have backed off and play a couple of songs from one end to another. Pentagram, Bobby, matters because he is actually excellent. His life could have been very different. he could've been Ozzy Osbourne at least.
Movie: A
Music: B (because there wasn't enough)