The Renaissance period may have officially ended more than 300 years ago, but some say Rob Zombie is a modern-day Renaissance man.

Not only does the bearded rocker have seven gold or platinum albums on Geffen under his belt, he’s also directed two fairly well-received horror flicks, more than 25 music videos, written a comic-book, which will become an animated film later this year, and has his very own action figure.

Currently on tour supporting his new album “Educated Horses,” Zombie will be stopping in Des Moines Thursday night to rock a sold-out crowd at the Val Air Ballroom. The tour, which kicked off at the beginning of March, also features goth-rockers Lacuna Coil and heavy metal up-and-comers Bullet For My Valentine, as well as showcase the former White Zombie vocalist’s first collection of new music since 2001’s “The Sinister Urge.”

“This thing’s pretty much a solid sellout at this point,” said Sean Elliott of the Val Air Ballroom. “This is one of the smaller plays on his tour, so we felt fortunate to get a show like Rob Zombie in here.”

Although there’s a chance that a few tickets might leak out closer to showtime, they were snatched up as fast as any in recent memory, Elliot said.

“The phone has continued to ring. Even though its all sold out, they’re ringing harder than they have,” he said.

The explanation for the quick sellout could be attributed the heavy airplay of Zombie’s new single, “Foxy Foxy,” on local rock stations 105.1 Channel Q and Lazer 103.3.

Jamie Matthews, program director at Channel Q, said the single, which has been in regular rotation since Feb. 15, has had more than its share of requests.

“It’s getting a pretty good chunk of airplay, right now it’s one of our top spinning songs,” he said. “The station recently did a ticket giveaway for the concert, and could barely keep up with all the incoming calls.”

Matthews attributes the concert’s popularity to its selling out so early and leaving tickets high in demand.

On the new album, which was released March 28, Zombie is joined by former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5, former Limp Bizkit axe-man Wes Borland and former Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, to name a few. The album follows a musical hiatus in which Zombie wrote and directed his directorial debut, “House of 1,000 Corpses” and last year’s follow-up, “The Devil’s Rejects,” making a name for himself as a filmmaker in the process.

Although the Des Moines concert has been well received, reactions to his new album have been mixed. Some people are put off by the new direction his music has taken, but others are impressed with his new sound.

“Stripping back the techno frills and computer effects that have defined his sound, he makes an unexpected charge for the pop charts,” read a recent review from E! Online. “It’s not a move that will please his long-suffering fans or even attract many new ones. With the exception of a couple of menacing tracks, the scariest thing about this album is just how boring it is.”

Mike Ruby, sophomore in industrial technology, got his tickets the day they went on sale and disagrees.

“I like the new stuff,” said Ruby, who said he has been a fan of Zombie’s since his days in the influential hardcore band White Zombie. “He’s mixing up alternative rock and metal, and it kind of seems like he’s straying away from the pure metal on this new album. It almost seems like his movie career has influenced his music – it sounds like it should be a horror movie soundtrack.”

Matthews said it’s a different direction for Zombie. He said there’s a little bit of a dance beat happening, compared to the early White Zombie material, which was very guitar-oriented and definitely on the heavy-metal side.

“It’s kind of surprising. I think he’s trying to keep things fresh – keep his fans on their toes a little bit,” he said.

But viewing his various artistic endeavors as pieces of the same puzzle is exactly what one would expect from a modern-day Renaissance man.

“I’ve always thought of music in a visual way,” said Zombie in an interview with Audiohead.net. “I know the song is working when I start picturing things in my mind. I know music does that for everyone when it’s finished, but for me, that happens when I’m writing.

“And when I’m writing, that’s always how I’ve always approached things.”