“We’re really sorry we’ve kept you hanging over the last few days,” a post on the band’s Web site read. “Here’s the real deal – 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.

“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 band was slated to hit the continent at the end of October for a few shows. They will, however, continue onward with the rest of their tour plans, which include Japan, Europe and Australia.

“We are really psyched that with the extra rest and treatment that Lars and everyone else will get over the next few weeks, we will now be able to head over to Japan as scheduled,” the site read.