Within Reach

During the mid-1990s, Within Reach arose as a Swedish punk revival outfit assembled from the remnants of Lifeless Image and Passage 4. Björn Hahne, who had previously performed with Passage 4, linked up with bassist Magnus Brolin, an alumnus of Lifeless Image. The founding roster featured drummer Jocke Eriksson until his departure in early 2002, at which point guitarist Jonas Lewén shifted to drums and Niclas Lundgren was brought aboard on guitar, with Magnus Tornkvist handling vocals. Robin Sundqvist had filled the initial guitar role before exiting in 2001.

Shortly after assembling, the band issued the EP The Light Will Return on its own. Sidekicks, a Burning Heart Records subsidiary, soon signed Within Reach, leading to several recordings licensed through Poland’s Shing Records that also appeared on cassette. A split EP with the Polish band 1125 was released during the same period.

The group moved to Bad Taste Records in 1999 and delivered the album Fall From Grace, issued in Spain by Locomotive Music. Compilation appearances encompassed Epitaph’s Cheap Shots America as well as Burning Heart’s Still Screaming, Cheap Shots 3, and Stronger Than Ever, among others. European touring followed alongside other Bad Taste acts.

Denny Axelsson replaced Tornkvist on vocals at the close of 1999. In 2000 the band undertook another European run that included multiple dates with Sick of It All and performed at Sweden’s Hultsfredsfestivalen that summer. Canadian shows alongside fellow Swedish act 59 Times the Pain took place in 2001.

Within Reach disbanded in 2002, partly because vocalist Axelsson continued to face vocal difficulties that had begun during the 2001 recording of Complaints Ignored. Brolin, Hahne, Lundgren, and Lewén subsequently formed Insula.