Within Reach

by Linda SeidaSwedish punk revival band Within Reach formed during the mid-'90s from the remains of predecessors Lifeless Image and Passage 4. Guitarist Bj?rn Hahne had spent time with the latter group, while bassist Magnus Brolin had played with the former band. Within Reach's original lineup also included drummer Jocke Eriksson, but he dropped out early in 2002. To fill the gap, guitarist Jonas Lewén switched to drums. The band also invited Niclas Lundgren to join on guitar. Rounding out the group was vocalist Magnus Tornkvist. Lewén's spot on the guitar was originally held by Robin Sundqvist, who left the band in 2001.
Not long after coming together, the band self-released the EP The Light Will Return. Sidekicks, a subsidiary of Burning Heart Records, soon offered Within Reach a contract. A trio of recordings followed with Shing Records, a label based in Poland, and their releases also came out on cassette. During this time, the group also split an EP with Poland's 1125. Within Reach made the jump to new label Bad Taste Records in 1999 and the CD Fall From Grace followed; in Spain, the release was issued by Locomotive Music. Within Reach was also featured on the Epitaph compilation Cheap Shots America and the Burning Heart compilations Still Screaming, Cheap Shots 3, and Stronger Than Ever, among others. A tour of Europe followed with labelmates from Bad Taste. At the end of 1999, vocalist Denny Axelsson stepped in to take over for Tornkvist. The band embarked on a European tour in 2000, hooking up with Sick of It All for several shows. That summer, Within Reach's members performed at a festival in their homeland called Hultsfredsfestivalen. The group toured Canada with 59 Times the Pain, another Swedish outfit, in 2001.
Within Reach decided to call it quits in 2002, partially due to the fact that vocalist Axelsson was experiencing difficulties with his voice, a problem that had been ongoing since the recording of Complaints Ignored in 2001. Brolin, Hahne, Lundgren, and Lewén remained bandmates in a group called Insula.