Our selection of royalty-free cinematic music with an emphasis on tension, danger, nerve, and a sense of unease. Sometimes more subtle and sneaky music, other times more overt threatening music and soundtracks for critical situations, this music is made for action thrillers, police operations, stakeouts, spy / undercover agents, dangerous missions, hurricane-chasing and more.
A suspenseful and mysterious tension track. Pulsating underscore suitable for action thriller, psychological thriller, spy mystery, dark films and TV series. A sense of foreboding and unease. Mystical / Tense / Ominous. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
A dark and intense orchestral action track. Edgy and staccato, with a dark mystery and urgent, tension and dramatic fight, battle mood. A great track for a fantasy fight, action adventure, stressed situation, escape or survival themes. Somewhat tribal / primal sound. This track is available with or without the Koto instrument which, if included, gives the track a Japanese / Oriental twist. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Fast / 87 BPM]
A track that slowly crescendos, building on a foundation of synth and horns, accented with violin ostinatos. A powerful, resolute statement. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 78 BPM]
A cinematic track in four sections. Thin, ambient opening. Wood blocks, bells, and chimes sparkle, while powerful string and brass sections drive the piece forwards. Soft, gentle resolution. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow / 64 BPM]
A dark, brooding piece. It starts with a low synthy bass. The melody is subtle, but grows with each iteration. It builds as it repeats itself. The last section adds a subtle rhythmic element, insinuating a growing nervousness. Perfect for a documentary or horror film/tv show. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 80 BPM]
A dark, minimal, and sparse track with hypnotic bass, pulsing synths and light percussion. Crime, danger, tension. Mysterious and tension building. (Stem files available). [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
An orchestral trailer with a rich bass that slowly unfolds and builds towards a climax. The woodwinds are inspired by 'The Moldau' by Smetana. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
Low, massive, propulsive bass. Ominous, spatial percussion instruments. Evokes a sense of unease, tension, and threat. Ideal for projects related to tension, crime, and drama. [Tempo: Fast / 150 BPM]
Low, propulsive, massive bass. Toxic, overdriven percussion. Disturbing main motif on the piano. A sense of sadness, suspension, perpetual tension. Disturbing / Suspenseful / Emotional. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
Intense and atmospheric, this track would be great for setting an ominous, chaotic, evil mood. Filled with advanced string performances and an eerie choir. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
A moody, echoing march. Heave synth sounds, and sparse melodies. Sets a mood that is ominous and mysterious. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 53 BPM]
Sad and emotional piece made for extreme visual and cinematic solutions. Heavy orchestral drums led by high piercing strings and basses following. The beginning of the track starts soft and builds upon itself with a tense and dramatic movement. This track is perfect as a theme or even any emotional cinema, it contains a start-stop feel to really offset the strings which lends itself for a very beautiful sound. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 120 BPM]
Conclusive and highly dramatic in nature, this track is made with a epic dramatic end in mind to convey a massive conclusion about to accur. Perfect for the end of a story or movie, or anything fit for an intense moment or story ahead. An arpeggio driven track with a massive multiple string sections backing this giant sounding track. Theme-worthy and versatile in every aspect, this track is perfect for cinematic demands. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 157 BPM]
Foreboding and tension-building action / thriller track with a gritty urban feel. Hard-hitting percussion with hip-hop drums, massive blaring brass and spy thriller like flute riffs combine to make a very ominous and urgent sounding action soundtrack. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 85 BPM]
A very dark, powerful and dramatic horror / thriller track. Foreboding and scary. Eventful and intense. Combining orchestral elements with dark and powerful percussion and choir risers, this horror action track swarms and squirms through various stages and keeps developing throughout. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium / 96 BPM]
A brooding and atmospheric music track, featuring a haunting mood of northern cold and tribal beat. Suitable for epic scenery, historical music, cultural themes, indigenous peoples and cultures, far-away lands and amazing stories of wonder and awe. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 75 BPM]
Hybrid industrial trailer music track with pounding drums and sound design elements. Tense, urgent, violent music. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 146 BPM]
Ominous and arid western atmosphere, inspired by modern TV drama like Breaking Bad and CSI. Crime and gangster feel, as well as police investigation mood. [Tempo: Slow / 90 BPM]
A suspenseful action blockbuster music track, featuring a combination of synths, industrial elements and symphonic orchestra. Huge percussion ensemble and wide brass section. Strong / Dramatic Music. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 100 BPM]
Orchestra underscore. Cello and bass synth drive pace with piano, forboding brass and string lines. Espionage, spy theme feel. Crime, mystery, investigation. Dark, edgy. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Apprehensive and dramatic sound design intro growing in power and confidence with orchestra and percussion. Strong / Epic / Powerful. Very dark music track. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 125 BPM]
Dark, aggressive and very rhythmic composition with menacing, machine-like drumsounds and effects. Edgy, mysterious and suspense-packed. Suitable as a movie score for science fiction, technology and action. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 110 BPM]
Edgy, pulsing, rhythmic and pounding electronic trailer music track. In the second part - urgent and energetic, percussive dramatic action. Danger / War / Assault. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
A conniving, dramatic string movement. It starts with a solo cello and viola, playing a static, offset melody. It grows into an epic, sneaky orchestral bombardment. It would work well as a period piece, or in a documentary. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 92 BPM]
A brooding and dark feeling soundtrack with an emotive undertone. Features violon, cello and piano, and has a distant Asian influence. [Tempo: Slow / 109 BPM]
A dark, edgy and powerful hybrid trailer track. Cold and sharp electronic sounds collide with massive percussion and a determined, relentless, staccato beat. Great for sci-fi, action thrillers, police, swat team, military operations, or even battle sports. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 90 BPM]
A quirky, dark and staccato, almost broken-up piece of orchestral fantasy music, inspired by the styles of Tim Burton & Danny Elfman. Playful in a playfully dark, wicked way. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 102 BPM]
A tension-filled, pulsating and dramatic string orchestra piece. Filled with turmoil, drama and movement, this piece will work great as a cinematic main theme / intro theme, or a dramatic trailer. Serious music / Neo-Classical. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 121 BPM]
A futuristic, blockbuster style music track featuring pulsating basses, big, epic orchestra and large mixed choir, giving a powerful touch to its climax part. Interesting time signature in 7/8ths throughout. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 100 BPM]
A dark, rhythmic, and ever intensifying piece of orchestral music, available with or without vocal chanting and howling. This piece has something of the wild about it, something primal. It keeps growing, growing, growing until the climax at about 2:10 and then ends with a haunting afterthought. Aggressive / Menacing / Threatening. [Tempo: Slow / 60 BPM]
A dramatic, cinematic, orchestral piece of amazement and heroism. This piece gradually builds up from an ominous, dark beginning, increasing into a crescendo towards the end. [Tempo: Slow / 74 BPM]
A dramatic, semi-orchestral and cinematic track filled with rousing emotions, building tension. A sense of witnessing history in the making, amazement and heroism. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
Tense combination of sound designer sounds with ambient synth textures and a hard hitting techno backdrop. Action, drama, dramatic, chase, crime, police, battle, war, futuristic action and suspense. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 116 BPM]
Atmospheric piano intro growing in epic powerful music and percussive orchestral theme. Dark / Strong / Epic music / Powerful. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 150 BPM]
An epic and rousing track for fantasy, adventure, epic trailers. Emotional and lively, this track features big percussion, full orchestra and choir. Valiant and heroic. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 77 BPM]
Abrasive and jarring machine-like rhythmic elements, epic and otherworldly with ominous undertones and rising in intensity. Works great with crime, industrial, steampunk and sci-fi scenes. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 126 BPM]
Historical, Barry Lyndon type, civil war music. Would fit a 19th century war / historical feature. Classical war march genre of orchestration, using snare drum roll, piccolo flutes, clarinets, Bass drums, French and English horn. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 110 BPM]
Sneaky, slow, somewhat dark "spy funk" track with electro / dub influences and occasional lead guitar lines. Good for Crime in Progress, Spy / Agent, Secret Mission, undercover police operation, forensic investigations etc. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 130 BPM]
Eerie, tense, percussive soundscape with a relentless spooky melody, dark metalic FX and flute sweeps. Atmospheric with a sense of suspense and imminent danger. Menacing and sinister. 48 hours, The Mentalist, Castle, Alien Invasion, crime drama, horror, Sci-Fi. [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
Prepare to enter battle with this tense, epic, cinematic track. Starting with percussion and gradually building with brass, strings, snare drum and even some war cries. Good for movies, video games and tv dramas ranging from ancient times through to futuristic Star Wars type battle scenes. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 70 BPM]
A short track that tells of darkness and sadness. [Tempo: Medium / 90 BPM]
Terrifying, thriller, Chase, chilly, nervous tension, sinister, threatening, creepy. Horns, strings, cello, drone, flute, pads, synths. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 0 BPM]
An upbeat action thriller track with a modern Filmcue vibe: Suspenseful pending build up. Rich in cinematic texture. Great for various cinematic use, ominous background, action suspense segments etc. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 120 BPM]
A rather intense mix of orchestral and electronic music. It's progressive construction makes it a pretty good fit to any story based energetic montage. [Tempo: Medium / 88 BPM]
Electronica, experimental, underscore. Haunting, Techno, Science / electronics. [Tempo: Fast / 144 BPM]
Begins with fast paced electro/rock underscore. Distorted guitars and sounds design are prevalent throughout. At mid-point, the entire orchestra joins in with a trailer-esque choir which builds to a final crescendo with brass stabs for impact. [Tempo: Fast / 150 BPM]
Creepy orchestration suggests an approaching evil menace or a supernatural event. Steeped in suspense, this dark, sinister piece builds towards a horrific & sudden conclusion. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
Classic horror flick type material, with mystical chords and stabbing rhythms. Hypnotic feel. The creepy crawlies are out to get you! [Tempo: Slow / 84 BPM]
A mixture of electronic synths, percussion and strings are used to generate a sense of risk. The constant pulse throughout adds to the anxiety, making this ideal for game shows with elimination rounds. [Tempo: Slow / 63 BPM]
Not for the faint-hearted! Menacing Score track with powerful drums and diverse aggressive, distorted sounds. Evil, scary and very dark. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 120 BPM]