In pictures: The Kerrang! x Within Temptation album launch party

To celebrate the release of Within Temptation's sensation new album Bleed Out, last night in central London we hosted a very special launch party with the band and 120 of their biggest fans.

With drinks supplied by our friends at Red Stripe, Strongbow and Liquid Death, Kerrang!'s London HQ was turned into the ultimate Within Temptation experience for those who braved the awful October weather.

Flying in from France that day, Sharon den Adel and Stefan Helleblad treated the capacity crowd to a special acoustic performance, including Bleed Out's title track and perennial fan-favourite Ice Queen.

Swipe through the gallery below for a glimpse of the action.

Following the acoustic session, the lucky competition winners were treated to an exclusive playback of Within Temptation's new album hours before it his shelves and streaming services. And the fun didn't end there, as Sharon and Stefan joined us for a special Q&A session to dig into the themes of the album and answer some burning fan questions – including whether they'd ever do live performance with an orchestra in the UK. Yes, we would love to see that too!

But it wouldn't be the ultimate fan experience without meeting the band, and as the drinks continued to flow and our K! playlist was cranked up, we held a signing and photo session for everyone in attendance. From incredible artwork to cuddly sloths to signed body parts that we're pretty sure are going to be tattoos soon, it was a true celebration of the connection between Within Temptation and their fans – those who have been there since the beginning, and those who have just started their journey with the Dutch metallers.

Check out more photos of the night below, and get your hands on Bleed Out now.

READ THIS: Within Temptation: “These are songs about society and how people accept each other, or don’t accept each other”