Halford: 'Arizona Lawmakers Are Racist'

The rocker is a part-time Phoenix resident and he's appalled by the new law, which requires police to determine if people are in the country illegally and calls for state residents to carry identification papers with them at all times.

He tells CNN, "It's a really, really difficult time for a lot of people. We try and stay out of politics - that's not our job - but I think for something as volatile as this... There's Latino metalheads, and there's all kinds of metalheads.

"From my heart, I think it's a racist law, I really do. I mean, I've thought about it and I've looked at everybody's point of view, and it's a terrible thing that's going on there, so I'm a little bit upset about the whole thing. I hope it gets resolved... There's enough trouble going on in the world."