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.
Many moods captured in an epic underscore. Begins with dark march and action-oriented outbursts, with interludes of tragic reflection and heroic themes. Second half is a furious action / march, always with a menacing and dark undertone. Good for medieval battle, attack of the evil empire, blood-soaked battleground. This track was recorded with a real live philharmonic orchestra. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]
Robert Schumann, Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26, IV. Intermezzo in E-flat minor. Performed live in studio by renowned concert pianist Vadim Chaimovich, exclusively for Shockwave-Sound.com. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
A subtlely dark, stealthy and mysterious track that is also smooth and flowing. A versatile atmospheric background template. Foreboding / Fiction / Unknown. [Tempo: Slow / 80 BPM]
A dark and driving synth-based track, featuring intense percussion and distorted guitars leading to an intense and epic climax. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 100 BPM]
Heavy and edgy music, featuring a gritty electric guitar riff, driving drums, buzzy synth, epic piano and percussive hits that create a bold and rebellious mood. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Edgy and suspense cinematic music track made with orchestra, synths and other various effects. Action / Spy / Tension Music. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
A suspense and slowly evolving music track with a mystic and trailer feel combined. Synths are layered with orchestra, with pulsating bass, and epic choir at the end. Sci-fi / Fantasy / Action thriller, etc. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 85 BPM]
Dark Hip-Hop and orchestral music mix, with a secretive mood. Spy music / Crime / Ominous / Edgy. [Tempo: Slow / 75 BPM]
A dark and suspenseful hybrid music featuring a combination of growling distorted bass, orchestra and synth sounds. Tension building / Danger / Ominous / Determined. Sense of urgency and foreboding. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
A catchy, forward moving orchestral/electronic track suitable for action/thriller, featuring groovy drums and a powerful sub bass line that will give your project a nice touch. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 130 BPM]
Battle drums. Pounding percussion. A combination of orchestral percussion and ethnic / tribal drums. Suitable for battle, fight, chase, brawls and action scenes. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 96 BPM]
Battle drums / marching percussion. A combination of orchestral percussion and ethnic / tribal drums. Suitable for battle, fight, chase, conflict, etc. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 94 BPM]
Royalty free dark, industrial sound design, powerful and tense hard-hitting percussion. Edgy / Force / Dark. [Tempo: Medium / 115 BPM]
A foreboding and ominous film soundtrack underscore. Deep drums, atmospheric swirls and drones create a ticking, pensive, rhythmic background highly suitable for crime thriller, dark drama, investigative mystery. Hidden clues, a dangerous situation, or perhaps unveiling a dark secret? [Tempo: Medium / 81 BPM]
Big, rugged action track, with mystery. Evokes a feeling of a inspired group marching toward a common goal. Also good for crime / crime in progress / criminal investigation, etc. Features large Epic Percussion. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
Restrained aggression boiling over and unleashed, creates a state of panic. Ideal tool for sci-fi, extreme sports, mystery, crime, fight, chase and action scenes. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 84 BPM]
Warm and ambient underscore music that build from fast synth to patterns to a airy atmospheric with underlying Les Paul tones. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 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]
Horns and percussion build tension, joined by an urban beat and strings. Could be perfect for any kind of preparation for a sports game, college exam, or just to illustrate someone's determination and will to succeed. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 125 BPM]
A dark, cold and damp TV or film underscore cue. Pensive, unnerving and unsettling, this piece is suitable for a scene in a crime mystery, horror flick or perhaps a criminal documentary featuring evil or the occult, gruesome discoveries in forensics, crime scene investigation, etc. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
Battle drums / marching percussion. A combination of orchestral percussion and ethnic / tribal drums. Suitable for battle, fight, chase, conflict, etc. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 120 BPM]
Low, rhythmic bass sequence. Spatial, unsettling effects. Overdriven percussion. Ideal for science, mystery, darkness, laboratory, criminal mysteries. Science / Mystery / Tension. [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
Dark and moody atmosphere that develops towards a powerful and heroic theme, mixed with modern elements, guitars and drum loops. Not limited to just Western productions. Has a certain "swamp" feel. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 120 BPM]
A dark, swirling combination of piano, pulsating strings, electric guitar and synth. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 111 BPM]
A grand, ever growing and increasing, orchestral / cinematic track. Epic and stirring, this track has various "edit points" and is useful for Fantasy, Adventure / Action, Science Fiction, epic encounters and more. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 110 BPM]
A dramatic, and very dark soundtrack cue, which keeps building and growing, getting closer as the tension grows higher. Dark / Threatening / Scary. [Tempo: Slow / 80 BPM]
A dark and dramatic, cinematic trailer or action / tension score. Doom-laden / Foreboding / Serious / Tense. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium / 90 BPM]
A dark and ominous track featuring choir and piano. Mysterious, chanting, perhaps occult séance or dark magic. [Tempo: Slow / 52 BPM]
Gearing up for a battle, the two sides size each other up. The leader of the good guys delivers a short yet inspiring message to his team... we may be down but not out, go out there and conquer! Orchestra and urban beats. Good for sports and any scene building up to action. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 88 BPM]
A rather dark and ominous amazement / drama track. Chanting choir, stabbing brass and percussion, a sinister undertone tells of perhaps religious rituals, cult, majestic uprising, dark magic or sacrifice, determined evil powers gathering. Dark history, mystery, mythology. Foreboding, threatening. [Tempo: Medium / 83 BPM]
Huge stabs give way to twisted maniacal anguish and haunted voices. Tragic theme introduces a grim march propelled by determination and grit. The theme is presented at the end in a burst of triumph and heroism. Good for epic battle, fight to the finish, dark action. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow, Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
A Percussion Only track, with big pounding drums in various more and less intense patterns. Useful as music for sound design, film scoring, games and more. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 130 BPM]
A very pensive underscore track, suitable for drama or thriller. Thoughtful, a sense of time passing, clues coming into place. Starts out with a simple piano and grows in intensity towards a frantic crescendo at about 01:15 before returning to the original, sparse theme once again. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 139 BPM]
Ethnic flutes and duduk, orchestra and percussion. Someone is on a long journey and is in a cold and foreign land. Great for travel documentaries or suspenseful scenes in TV and film. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 91 BPM]
This orchestral cinematic cue contains two parts/sections. The first 30 seconds has a strong tension and a rhythmic pulse, with a foreboding, dark tone. The second part, from about 30 seconds onwards, is more melancholic, sorrowful and wistful, with a sense of loss or realization. [Tempo: Slow / 90 BPM]
An ominous, edgy, tense, semi-orchestral and semi-industrial action soundtrack. Orchestra with epic percussion, majestic sounding choir. Glorious / glorifying but also tense / terror / dark power, with a technology / mechanical edge. Good for dramatic trailers, modern and futuristic warfare, battle / fight, sci-fi and fantasy, action adventure, raw/violent sports footage and more. Also available as a Rock Mix with added power guitars and rock drums, and as an alternative version without the choir. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 136 BPM]
A suspicious and mystical track with scattered, subtle rhythms, a drone like pad, and occasional piano / acoustic guitar. Mystery and intrigue. Investigation, analytics, intelligence. Pensive / thoughtful. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
A busy, whimsical and mischievous orchestral cue. Playful, but a bit naughty or evil. Good energy level. A fun, filmscore, orchestral romp! Inspired by Tim Burton / Danny Elfman. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 161 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]
A dark and dramatic, hybrid orchestral track with a scifi feel. Crisis / Edgy / Heroic. The track has a melodic element that rises up, up, towards a sudden drop off at 01:28, followed by a dark and ominous end part.
[Tempo: Medium / 124 BPM]A very dark and threatening orchestral soundtrack, featuring repeating waves of foreboding, ominous, menacing swells. Highly dramatic and spine chilling. Apocalypse / Emergency. [Tempo: Slow / 70 BPM]
Sexy, Romatic, Edgy, Ambient Electronica. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
A tense and pensive music track with a serious, dark and determined feel. Can be a dark superhero or a macho / strong figure with an edge. Combines electronic and orchestral sounds. This track has several peaks and valleys, giving you great opportunities as music for editing it to fit the events/cues in your own production. [Tempo: Slow / 100 BPM]
An intense electronic action track. with massive drums, synth sounds and drones, an action-packed thrill-ride track perfect for emphasizing your next movie project. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
A gritty and harsh, semi-orchestra, semi-electronic music track with a very edgy futuristic feel. Dramatic and ominous music. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 130 BPM]
A neo classical soundtrack piece with a sense of passing time, a story unfolding, a process taking place. Pensive, mysterious, uncertain, somewhat dark. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
A dramatic, serious epic cinematic track. Blend of symphonic instruments, expressive choirs, synths and electro/dubstep rhythm. Massive sound. A feel of a danger or inevitable dramatic events. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 77 BPM]
An epic, cinematic instrumental piece. Tension builds from the beginning as heavy, stabbing electronic sounds pulse and grow into a driving electronic/orchestral groove near the end. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
Fast, frantic and hard hitting semi-orchestral, semi-electronic music for action, fight or racing scene. Distorted, twisted guitars, deep brass stabs, extremely fast techno breakbeat. Chase or battle material. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 115 BPM]
Ambient background track with an uneasy, pensive feel. Dark, ominous and threatening, this track suggests danger and death. The track could suit scenes in a graveyard or other dark place, or tense scenes where a character is sneaking around, trying to avoid being caught. Exploring at night, dangers lurking. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
