Good to see somebody enjoying some Alter Bridge, they were my favorite band all through my teenage years.
As mentioned earlier, it really depends on your preferences. Ideally, a good headphone for rock might be something that has a good amount of punch and a strong midrange, with clear treble but maybe a bit rolled off as to not get annoying...but that's entirely subjective.
Take Alter Bridge for example. Tremonti loves to throw aggressive and emotional solos into the middle of the songs, so for me, I'd pick a headphone that is able to convey that aspect in a convincing way. I also find the majority of their songs, especially anything from their earlier albums, to have a recessed low end and not much punch. So a headphone with some good mid bass impact would sound pretty good in that sense.
In the grand scheme of things, it's most important to find a sound signature that fits your tastes. Generally, you should pick from a list of headphones with relatively balanced natures, and decide based on the smaller characteristics. For example, the HD598, HD650, LCD2, HD800S, and ZMF Eikon could all be called relatively balanced. None of them have a frequency that is disproportionate to the rest, but they're all entirely different in sound. In deciding which is best for rock music I would factor in my desires: punchy bass that doesn't bleed into the midst, smooth midrange, and slightly rolled off highs without sacrificing clarity. Going from there I'd decide if I want a transparent sound or a meaty sound. If I want punch, detail for days, and clarity, I'd go HD800S. If I wanted a meaty sound with less highs and more punch, I'd go Eikon. If I wanted relaxed and smooth with rolled off highs and amazing minds, I'd go HD650. Those are the real decisions that people need to make when deciding on a headphone because the headphones that are described as "V shaped" or "U shaped" have so many differences within each category.
Unfortunately the only true way to know if you'll like a headphone is to listen to it. I've been lucky with blind buys so far: 598, 650, Momentum 2, LCD2. After all the research I've done on the ZMF Atticus and after all my experience with testing many headphones, I was certain that I'd love this headphone. I was lucky enough to find a fellow Head-Fi member who was willing to lend me both his Atticus and Eikon and they're both currently on my desk.
As it turns out, regardless of how much research I did, I was utterly wrong about the Atticus. I don't enjoy it at all. The Eikon on the other hand blew me away with how good it sounds. It goes to show that listening to cans in person is the single best way to figure out what sound you like.
The end.
