Thrash/metalcore band, Miss May I, will perform at Wooly’s in Des Moines at 7:30 p.m. on August 12. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the show. All ages are welcome.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at http://www.woolysdm.com/event/768551-miss-may-i-des-moines/.

The band is releasing its fifth studio album, Deathless, on August 7.

Frontman, Levi Benton, said the new album is very aggressive and comes from the difficulties the band faced in the last year.

“I think it was just us growing as a band and getting more popular, there was a lot more hands into the equation that we weren’t used to,” Benton said. “We could have made a lot of changes, …but we didn’t, and that’s what’s on [the album].

The album’s cover art comes from this same place: a shattered and beat up skull, which remains intact.

“We just want to show people that we’re not… invincible …but we’re still together and making it,” he said.

There were moments the band considered giving up, but they pulled through in the end.

“It was just like contracts and a bunch of dumb corporate stuff and we [thought] it’s not even worth being in a band anymore,” Benton said, “But we all talked each other through it, …made this record and pulled together.”

Miss May I has been together since the band members’ high school days in Troy, Ohio, starting off as a garage band.

“Troy, Ohio is very tiny. It’s only 20,000 people,” Benton said. “We used to play in sheds and basements… We didn’t have a music venue. Music venues were people’s living rooms [and] yards.”

Since then, the band has become more crowd-oriented, Benton said.

Along with Benton, the band includes guitarists Justin Aufdemkampe and BJ Stead, bassist and vocalist, Ryan Neff and drummer, Jerod Boyd.

The band is influenced by the old school metal mentality, and wants to give off that vibe in a modern way, Benton said.

Benton is in charge of lyrics, while the guitarists work on the instrumentals.

“We always want to make it different. We try not to do the same record twice,” he said. “Looking back at our discography, it’s cool to see where we were.”

On the new record, Benton claims ‘Empty Promises’ as his favorite.

“I love the lyrical content [and] I love the guitar riffs. [It has] the prettiest solo we’ve ever had on a record,” he said.

For its upcoming show at Wooly’s, Miss May I will be playing a little bit from each of their albums, including Deathless, said Benton.

“We all get to be super rowdy and sweaty and gross. [It] should be loud and hopefully super crazy and sweaty,” he said.

To get ready for a gig, the band does push-ups to get their blood pumping and a “good luck” fist bump during the introduction, Benton said.

Benton said he likes to visit bars and restaurants in the area of venues the band plays, because he loves meeting new people.

“I just want to meet [fans]. I love hanging out and sharing stories. Everyone all over the world is different and awesome,” he said.

Since the band has played in Des Moines on many occasions, including at Wooly’s, Benton has an established favorite local restaurant.

“Zombie Burger’s my jam,” he said.

For the band’s future, Benton just hopes that they can become a headlining band.

“We’ve always been a huge support band,” he said. “I really want to just bust into being a headliner – where we always headline. That’s my number one goal right now.”

For more information on the band, visit its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MissMayIMusic. For more information on the venue, visit http://www.woolysdm.com/event/768551-miss-may-i-des-moines/.