Last Days Here (2011, Demian Fenton/Don Argott)

I had heard a little bit of Pentagram's music as a teenager and never really knew much about them and their popularity status, nor was I an especially huge fan. Not until seeing this terrifically entertaining and candid documentary did I learn that they were, in fact, one of those inexplicably unrecognized forerunners of the much 'darker' variety of metal, preceding the likes of Venom, Bathory, etc, by a long shot. However, they never received the proper accolades for their pioneering influence on the genre. "Last Days Here" centers primarily around Pentagram's down-and-out frontman, Bobby Liebling...

The film chronicles several years worth, I assume, of Liebling's life as he tries to get his shit together and recapture some of his faded glory as a rock n' roll badass. We find him in his early 50s (though looking like he's in his early 70s...), living in his elderly parents' 'sub-basement' in a drab Maryland suburb. Forty-some years of incessant drug abuse has left him haggard, bug-eyed, nearly brain dead and incredibly frail as he continues to casually smoke crack and reminisce about his younger days while violently scratching at the nonexistant parasites under his skin. The other former band members and aging record producers are interviewed, expounding on their numerous missed opportunities for musical stardom at the hands of their unruly, junkie vocalist.

At one point in the film Liebling meets a girl half his age (if not younger...) and moves out of his parent's house and down to Philadelphia. This is when it is revealed that Liebling - though seemingly withered and hopelessly diseased beyond all repair - is apparently fully capable of kicking drugs, cold turkey, and getting his act together when he has to. Although I'm not factoring out documentative liberties meant to steer the overall 'point' of the film into a certain direction by allowing Liebling to lie about continuing to do drugs off camera or even people involved lying FOR him. Either way, his love-induced rejuvenation prompts him to dedicate his newfound sobriety to producing some new Pentagram music and playing a big comeback show. There are a few roadblocks along the way, such as getting his heart broken, a jail stint, relapse, and just his general immaturity...

"Last Days Here" is easily the best rock-doc since "Anvil! The Story of Anvil". Bobby Liebling is a truly pathetic individual who is dispondently susceptible to any and all forms of dopamine facilitating substances and lifestyles. The way this documentary presents him is as a man so devoid of character and self-respect that he actually chooses to be an addict for recreational purposes and as a means of subconscious suicide, though, like I said, kicking a life-long crack-cocaine and heroine habit cold turkey seems a bit unlikely, but there's no way to know for sure, as far as Liebling's case is concerned. Regardless of this, the outcome of this doc is undeniably satisfying and the build-up to it is entertaining, tragic and often hilarious. Highly recommended.