A listener will encounter endless guitar riffs and zero lyrics when crossing paths with Virgil.

The four-member instrumental band is back in action after making music from 1996 to 2000. Guitarists Bob Bridges and Brenden Birch reconvened with bass player Thomas "TJ" Janes in April 2007.

Bennett Williams has replaced original drummer Matt Van Kersen, and the band's new album, "Juggernaut," arrived in stores last month.

The musicians -- who count hard-rock acts Failure and Voivod as primary influences -- recently spoke to Indy.com about life after a seven-year hiatus and working without a singer:

On being an instrumental band:

"You can pretty much do anything you want," Bridges says. "You don't have to stick to any certain formula -- especially when it comes to arranging the songs, because there's no vocals. I love vocals, but we couldn't find anyone. We had a few people try out in the early days, but we decided to keep it instrumental."

On being misunderstood:

"We always get told whenever we play, 'Don't you guys want a vocalist? You guys would be so much better with a vocalist,'" Williams says.

"(A vocalist) is one of those things that makes or breaks it," Birch adds. "It always broke us. We tried a few people out, but it never worked."

On the music they play:

"I got this obscure e-mail from Bob saying, 'I'm in this band Virgil. We're an instrumental rock band. Do you think you'd be interested?'" Williams says. "I immediately thought, 'Instrumental rock band -- that's awesome. That's totally what I want to do.' I had been looking for a band that would be somewhat the same experience of playing in a jazz-fusion band, but without all the volume restrictions. I've had so many negative experiences being in jazz bands."

On the band's second incarnation:

"There are more people at shows," Bridges says. "It seems like when we started out, there wasn't much happening as far as crowds attending shows where original music was played. We did have a few good ones, but it's certainly better now."

On new album "Juggernaut":

"It's been difficult to capture the live feeling on a studio recording," Bridges says. "But I think we came really close this time. We recorded at Azmyth Studios, and (producer) Ryan Adkins did a great job. We're real pleased with the album."

On guitarists Bridges and Birch:

"We started playing up in our bedrooms in sixth grade," Bridges says. "We've been friends that long, and we've played in the same bands except for one."

Birch adds: "We never sit down and try to map out a sound. We talk about it, but it kind of goes out the window when you start playing and the amps are (turned up). You just go with what sounds good."

On the potential to reach fans:

"There seems to be a lot more acceptance of things that aren't 'normal,'" Williams says. "I think people are sick and tired of the copies of the copies of music that have been produced on major labels for the last 20 years. With the Internet, we're seeing bands coming out of the woodwork doing incredibly strange things. People are loving it, because it's such a breath of fresh air."