Okay .. i guess this really depends on your "type" of rock. soo... here are some!

     Billboards mainstream rock had a handful of good bands:

1. Seether - Have come along way from Johannesburg, South Africa. Climbing the ranks over the years, in 2008 they had chart toppers like "Rise Above This" and "Fake It".

2. Foo Fighters- Wow. This band had a massive return back to the rock chart with the release of Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007). "Long Road To Ruin" from the album, stayed at the #1 spot for seven weeks in a row, March to April.

3. Shinedown- "Devour" . This band from Jacksonville, FL is definitely one of the greatest contributions to it's genre in the past couple of years. From the hometown of the infamous Lynyrd Skynyrd, they step it up in style and crank it up to level 11. I grew up a mere 45 minutes away from this band and never heard a word about them, and then BooM! There was Shinedown. I still can't get this song out of my head!

     O.K. now a little heavier stuff for the metalhead:

1. Bullet For My Valentine-" Scream Aim Fire" and "Waking the Demon". Both from the 2008 release Scream Aim Fire. Heart-pounding drums and dazzling guitar makes these note worthy. "Scream Aim Fire" was featured on a very popular video game. Great stuff.

2. All Shall Perish- Awaken the Dreamers, whole album. This band Makes the genre. Capital "M".

3. Trivium- "Shogun". So lovely, so brutal. If your a fan of any metal you will like this band. It's like Metallica with guitar lesson. This band is awesome. Also, "Throes of Perdition" was a great song too!

     For the angst-er in all of us, now the punks get some of thier aggression out on the list. And for the record, yes, we know its not dead thanks to these bands. Now will you please sober up and get a job?:

1.Rise Against- "Re-Education (Through Labor)" . This is the best band ever. Their punky chops with political driven rage takes this band to soar with the greatest. I expect this band to continue to rip rock a new one with every song they make. This is just one jewel in the treasure chest that is Rise Against.

2.Bayside- "Have Fun Storming the Castle". Bayside never ceases to amaze me. Changing up their style mid-song and going a different direction. Awesome guitar, awesome lyrics.

3.Listen to old punk- besides these, ehh not a lot of great stuff happened this year. Did I mention Rise Against?

 http://en.wikipedia.org