Metallica [ tickets ] was scheduled to open a tour of South America in Buenos Aires on Saturday (10/25), but the rockers will stay home instead.

According to a statement posted on the band's official website, the reasons for the cancellation are an injury to drummer Lars Ulrich and overall exhaustion.

"We've been going non-stop for the last 18 months with recording 'St. Anger,' press, touring, and all the stuff that goes with that, and honestly, we're fried," the group's statement said. "To top it off, Lars has a rotator cuff injury that dates back to the 'Black' album touring days and it's flared up again in the last couple of weeks. So unfortunately we will have to miss out on touring in South America. Big time apologies go out to our friends in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and all of you who were planning to travel there."

The statement added that the group will be back on the road in time for the Nov. 6 opening of its scheduled Japanese tour. From there, the hard-rock quartet heads to Europe in December, and will play a New Year's Eve show in Las Vegas.

In mid-January, Metallica heads to Australia and New Zealand, where it will headline the Big Day Out festival tour.

Metallica was on the road in North America for much of the year, headlining the Summer Sanitarium stadium tour and occasionally playing more intimate gigs. "St. Anger," the group's first new studio album in six years, hit stores in June.