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 hybrid orchestral track with special effects, big pounding percussion, orchestra and choir. Rousing, aggressive, and majestic. Dark / Ominous / Tense. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 63 BPM]
A contemporary, cinematic music track with an intriguing and captivating vibe. Featuring piano, strings, glockenspiel, atmospheric pads and orchestral percussion. Great for dynamic action scenes in films, TV and documentaries. [Tempo: Medium / 125 BPM]
Harp, piano and cello work together to make this mysterious track come to life. Moments of wonder and magic simulate occasional discoveries. A mix of light and darkness, somewhat neutral; general background. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]
An evil, Far East / Oriental style 'bad guy' theme that moves slowly, but threateningly to create a sense of anxiety. The Erhu is backed by a deep chanting male choir, drums and tense strings. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
An intensely ominous electronic/orchestral soundscape supports a brooding, haunting theme; overwhelmed with darkness and fear, this track is destined for moody scenes of terror and horror in contemporary cinema... For underscore and build-up. Instrumental, Dangerous Music, Dark Music. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Deep percussions and synths build a dark and intense atmosphere with a sense of suspense and drama. Great track for underscore dramatic situations. An amazing fusion of distorted guotar lines , percussions and strings. [Tempo: Slow, Fast, Very fast / 140 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]
Dramatic and Escalating Cinematic Action track featuring orchestral strings, percussion, synth pads and sound effects. Great for trailers, films in action and drama genres, Police / Investigation TV series and more. [Tempo: Medium / 90 BPM]
Electronic underscore with large percussion, warm synth tones, buzzy synth appregios and complex Moog undertones. Sports, Crime, Automotive. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
Soothing, tranquil and yet slightly mysterious and uneasy orchestral piece. Unusual blend of piano, strings and ambient synth sounds to make this track a little journey through different moods. Contains piano, strings, synths and drums. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 70 BPM]
Suspenseful movement. Underlying rhythm with a high-tech feel, understated guitar notes, staccato strings. Building tension. Combination of orchestral and techno soundtrack. Excellent underscore material for thriller, secret mission, secret agent, military or swat team, etc. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 93 BPM]
Dark and ominous event, eerie sounds, threatening and edgy, sustains with aggressive internal percussive events. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 100 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]
Hard-hitting, relentless hybrid industrial trailer royalty free music track leading to a victorious crescendo. Tense, atmospheric intro builds with epic hits and sound design to synth motif from 1'00'' and distorted riff from 1'34". [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 85 BPM]
An edgy and tense action track. Pounding percussion and staccato strings provide the forward-driving energy, and occasional blaring horns and an ethnic lute join in from time to time to provide additional drama and a bit of ethnic mystery to the intense action music. Suitable for tension, action, urgent operations, etc. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Fast / 125 BPM]
Tense, horrific survival music, blending hard percussion with orchestral elements. Changes between pensive, nervous parts and more action filled parts for chase, action scenes. Nervous, slightly chaotic, disoriented. [Tempo: Medium / 95 BPM]
The tension is high, preparations are place for the heist. All is going to plan but time is running out... will the robbers make it out in time before the authorities arrive? Orchestra, electric guitars, choir and synth. Music gets epic, trailer style with grinding processed guitars. For trailers, promos and action scenes (especially those involving a heist!). [Tempo: Fast / 148 BPM]
Ominous and tense. Orchestra, drums and haunting textures build suspense throughout. [Tempo: Medium / 156 BPM]
A dark, stressed battle or conflict track. Pulsating, big ethnic percussion, darkly twisted orchestral textures, vocal chants. Danger, tense situation. Rock guitar enters the mix at about 02:40. [Tempo: Medium / 87 BPM]
Action thriller track made with synths, effects, orchestra and percussion. Atmosphere, tension, suspense and action - with a modern or futuristic feel. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 90 BPM]
Orchestral hits and numerous rises and falls make this a dramatic track that tells a story. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 125 BPM]
Intense drama themed piece that uses driving percussion and urgent strings to full effect. It relentlessly builds to a dramatic conclusion.
[Tempo: Medium, Fast / 130 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]
A very dark and edgy track with a slow, pounding rhythm and a raw, destroyed sound. Available with, or without, the tribal shout vocals. Primal and futuristic at the same time, this track would go well with an ominous Sci-fi or Fantasy production. The version with the vocals has a more Savage / Barbarian feel, and the version without the vocals has a more Sci-fi / Metallic / Apocalyptic feel. [Tempo: Slow / 55 BPM]
A dark dystopian landscape with a driving rhythmic bass, pounding drums and blistering feedback. Resolves at 1:10 with a huge sweeping chord. [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
Ever felt that you were being watched by someone? Your every move being monitored from afar. A sinister, fevered, twisted and unnerving piece. Contains violins, cellos, xylophones, string plucks and some quite twisted melodies that slowly unfold, creating lots of tension. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 75 BPM]
A contemporary orchestral film score / cinematic track with a sense of danger and unease. Staccato rhythm. Turmoil / Agitation / Urgency. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 144 BPM]
An intense modern action instrumental with high-tech synthetic elements. Focused determination great for productions involving suspense, spying, chases, etc. Nice for escalating crime in progress scenes, action sequences and high intensity situations. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 120 BPM]
A mysterious suspense music track, with piano and strings and a more rhythmical second part. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 100 BPM]
A tense, ominous, brooding underscore for action, thriller, sci-fi and more. Pounding percussion, dark pads and sweeps. Urgency / Danger. Also available in a version without the drums, which represents a more sneaky / dark ambient feel. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
A pensive, tense, ominous orchestral track with an an undercurrent of conflict, suspicion, malevolence. Like two enemies stalking each other, measuring each other up for a fight. Also good as a general film score cue for tense moments, time running out, perhaps manhunt, etc. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 130 BPM]
This is a dark and claustrophobic adventure that’s soon to come to a bloody ending. Transparent piano harmonies accompany a mellow, yet terrifying string melody, building up to an unfortunate ending. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 60 BPM]
This is a film soundtrack with an epic vibe. Orchestral arrangement with a lot of tension and energy. Ideal for war, battle and fight themed films with a brooding feel. Emotional and Heroic feelings that bring a lot of inspiration to the listener. [Tempo: Medium / 84 BPM]
A feeling of suspense and eerieness. Chase, suspense, urgent, uneasy, tension, anticipation. Sneaky tension. World percussion, strings, horns, synths. [Tempo: Medium / 83 BPM]
Dark, eerie, ethereal, spacious, creepy, moody, thoughtful, slightly menacing electronic track with a slow groove & a sense of foreboding. Hypnotic, cool, smooth & haunting. Would suit mystery / crime / documentary / Halloween / horror type projects. [Tempo: Slow / 79 BPM]
The Third Reich is to Hitler what the Imperial March was for Darth Vader. It begins with a simple staccato violin pattern and flute melody until the call of horns introduces the ground-shattering beat, synonymous to the force of military tanks. When you thought things were rough, an epic finale kicks in. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 60 BPM]
A suspenseful, tense theme. Orchestral hybrid that features a simple haunting cello solo. The piece grows over time and incorporates an ethereal piano and high whispered strings. Fitting for a modern suspense thriller or horror movie. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 70 BPM]
A dark, tense and dramatic, textured film score piece. Very slight eastern European feel, but certainly not limited to that region. [Tempo: Slow / 0 BPM]
Quiz show, tension music bed, building up to the name of the winner being announced. The style is reminiscent of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' quiz show or 'The Weakest Link'. Tension building underscore, perfect for revealing who the winner is or whether that cash winning answer is correct. [Tempo: Medium / 112 BPM]
A pulsing synthesizer sets the tone for a dark atmosphere in the beginning. Drums with a hint of bit-crushed distortion build up and then quiet down before a massive drop. The main drop hits with a huge impact of drums and low bass. Layered in electronic melody gives the track a modern and edgy feel, but keeps a serious tone. Resembles "Tron Legacy" soundtrack. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 70 BPM]
String quintet developing a dramatic theme, suited for dramatic series involving psycological or criminal content. Timeless, with a classic / classical influence music. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 160 BPM]
A dark and broody hybrid track mixing electronic and orchestral elements. Creates a feeling of tension, darkness and terror. Good for a trailer, drama, crime in progress etc. [Tempo: Medium / 105 BPM]
High-intensity, electronic film trailer music, with strong, unrelenting bass and drum tracks and an ever-building array of orchestral instruments. The grand instrumentation and driving energy provide a clear sense of urgency that climbs until the very final moments of the piece. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
Deep, ominous and distorted opening into hard-hitting orchestral and electronic impacts. Violent. Epic / Action / Trailer Music. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
Starting small with a sense of isolation and tension, the drama gradually intensifies, ending with an epic final note. A modern combination of piano, guitar, synths, percussion and strings. [Tempo: Slow / 90 BPM]
A lively, ominous and busy music track with a dark atmosphere, made only with orchestral instruments. The structure is divided into several parts, all connected and in the same mood. Bustling / Tension / Drama Music. [Tempo: Medium / 60 BPM]
A thrilling cinematic trailer Sting that is epic and intense. It starts with rising orchestral clusters that begin ecalating into massive, terrifying, dramatic impacts that are designed to have your viewrs on the edge of their seat. This would be excellent for trailers, tv, movies and film, promos, bumpers and video games. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 100 BPM]
A menace lurks in the shadows, slowly creeping towards it's victim. OR: Someone enters a house, to make a gruesome discovery... Full orchestra with synth horror atmospherics. Ends with a big bang! [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 55 BPM]
Soundtrack / Sci-fi / Space / Fantasy. This dark and ominous track suggests that there is danger around the corner. Could work in scenes involving exploration or tension. The climax in the middle could be used to denote some type of discovery. [Tempo: Slow / 103 BPM]
Pure suspense with lots of tension and a thumping heartbeat. Think a horrific crime scene, or a deadly chase through a dark forest. Repetitive motifs but constantly building and evolving to enhance the drama and suspense. Synth swells are presented separately to allow for dramatic placement anywhere in the track. Good for crime, suspense, drama, TV, film. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
