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.
Aggressive and ominous, this dark orchestral piece suggests an apocalyptic threat. The quick string work in this piece lends it to scenes of vehicles driving quickly, perhaps to confront a foe, perhaps to escape one. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 95 BPM]
A nervous / ennerving and pensive orchestral track with epic percussion. A sense of danger and urgency. Good for reality TV / rescue mission, international conflict, armed conflict, military missions, action drama and more. Somewhat heroic / valiant feel. The good guys triumph! A full choir enters towards the end of the composition. This track is also available in an alternative version with an ethnic / exotic Monk voice singing a kind of gurgling vocalizing along with the music, giving the track a more ethnic / strange element. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 105 BPM]
Dark, cinematic and light suspenseful music track made with chamber orchestra. No divided parts. Dark / Spooky / Eerie / Quirky music. [Tempo: Medium / 145 BPM]
A pensive and emotive intro part, grows into a powerful, percussive, tense and dynamic cinematic theme. Strong / Sound Design / Trailer / Edgy music track. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 150 BPM]
Battle drums / marching percussion. A combination of orchestral percussion and ethnic / tribal drums. Suitable for battle, fight, chase, conflict, etc. [Tempo: Slow / 75 BPM]
Underlying tension. A dark and creepy underscore track for horror or dark drama, criminal documentary or crime scene investigation. What gruesome discovery lies behind the next turn? A nervous, pensive background track. Clanky percussion, deep drones and a serious, tense undertow. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 115 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]
Orchestra and drums pound out an aggressive theme perfect for a super villain, or a tense scene in a film or TV show. Could work well for sports action: down but not out, making the final push against adversaries. Or also a street battle brewing in a dark and sinister city late at night.Choir blasts in the last section to add an epic swell right before the music abruptly ends, in the style of film trailers. [Tempo: Medium / 97 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 dark, gloomy and dramatic soundtrack, telling of extreme danger or a grave situation. Systematically pounding percussion gives the sense of an overwhelming force, while increasing strings build the tension ever higher. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 80 BPM]
Dark, eerie, mystical soundscapes, with a tribal, ethnic, jungle feel. Mystery / Suspense / Tension. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]
A grungy, electronic and industrial track similar in style to the Nine Inch Nails (NIN). Loads of dirty and fuzzy synths mixed with drums and piano to create a strong and thumpy track. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 85 BPM]
Modern, propulsive, restless bass. A sense of suspension, unease, and threat. Tension evolving towards trailer music. Tension / Trailer / Modern Music. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
World orchestral track with a very sensual melody and a driving groove. Features ethnic percussion with string orchestra and bamboo flute and a very Middle Eastern flavor. [Tempo: Medium / 92 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]
Suspense ambient track. It features dark soundscapes, synth melody and electronic loops. [Tempo: Medium / 95 BPM]
A soundtrack that builds from deep anticipation into filtered drums, scattered instrumentation and an uneasy, thrilling sensation of discovery. Top & tailed with twisted, eerie strings giving a climactic feeling of fear & forboding. similar in style to US & Scandanavian TV crime drama scores or science & technology documentaries. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
A tribal and primal sounding peace built on percussion grooves and mysterious, drone like synth pulses. Influences from ancient world cultures come together with futuristic, sci-fi type sounds, to create a fusion of past, present and future. Ominous, mysterious, tense. Think tribes, jungle, rainforest, world beat / mystery. [Tempo: Medium / 120 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 fast paced action packed cue which creates a dark, cinematic and suspenseful mood. Threatening and pounding drums mixed with electronic elements along with booming brass, creating a huge cinematic sound. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 115 BPM]
Floating and building music track, featuring pulsing electronic elements, dark atmospheric textures and dramatic percussion that creates tension. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 128 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]
Rhythmic pulsing orchestral music track with a scientific and anticipation aura. Curious and epic music. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 140 BPM]
A dark and gloomy underscore for film / TV. Piano and strings. Suspicion, regret, pain. Unsettled thoughts. Unease. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
A tense, pensive underscore for a dramatic scene with an Italian or Sicilian slant. Perhaps New York Mafia, historical drama, or a chase / battle / conflict scene set against a backdrop of Italy / Sicily or Eastern Europe / Traditional Europe. Mandolin and violin with battle percussion, orchestral strings and brass stabs. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 75 BPM]
A suspenseful orchestral track that slowly builds in intensity with driving percussion and strings. Suitable for thrillers, action scenes, and reality TV shows. [Tempo: Slow / 62 BPM]
The massive brass and string stabs in this intense modern orchestral track will bring an epic jolt of energy to any production. Good for promos, commercials and trailers. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 144 BPM]
Propulsive rhythm pulses from orchestra, synth and percussion ramp up the tension. A tragic melody comes in and out, performed by female vocals. Ethnic instruments like duduk give a mysterious, ancient, middle eastern feel. For modern thrillers, perhaps for the opening credits. Also great for promos and trailers. [Tempo: Medium / 95 BPM]
Atmospheric piano intro growing in epic powerful music and percussive orchestral theme. Dark / Strong / Epic music / Powerful. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 150 BPM]
Edgy electronic music with solid beats, thumping toms and acid sound design. Dark / Dangerous / Power / Edgy / Raw music track. [Tempo: Fast / 135 BPM]
Pensive / Active / Uneasy / Hurried Music. Neo-classical, light orchestra arrangement, suitable as music for film, drama, TV and other media. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 156 BPM]
A man, wrongly convicted for a murder he didn't commit, escapes custody and must stay ahead of the police to find the real killer! This track was made for your next trailer or action movie/videogame soundtrack. [Tempo: Slow / 92 BPM]
A slowly rising, epic music track - developing into melodic anthem. Suspenseful, uplifting, orchestral. Amazement / Wonderment music. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 145 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, Very fast / 120 BPM]
Fantasy style orchestral soundtrack. Dark, gloomy and ominous. Big horn sections, mysterious melodies. Great for fantasy, epic adventures, dark times, horror, impending doom and conflict. Occasional deep vocal grunts and chants. This piece plays for over 6 minutes with plenty of variation, and can be used for several different cues, or used all together as background atmosphere. [Tempo: Slow / 75 BPM]
A dark, suspenseful and pensive, ambient track made with various synths, male monk voices and other pad based effects. Suspense / Dark / Apocalyptic. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 78 BPM]
Mystery / Intrigue / Suspicion. Subtle rhythm loop with gloomy electric piano and uneasy strings. Perhaps analysis, clues, mystery, or a story taking a dark turn… [Tempo: Slow / 86 BPM]
In the style of the desert scenes of "Breaking Bad", an ominous, foreboding soundscape of tension and textures. Nice for scenes of suspense and drama. [Tempo: Slow / 77 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]
This track is is an action filled cue that works well for escalating fight scenes, action sequences and something requiring a cue that builds wiht intensity. It begins with overtones of Asia and the Middle East, reminiscent of a kung-fu, or ancient ruins etc, and escalates into a cinematic techno hybrid that is energetic and thrilling. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 101 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]
A hybrid orchestral track with a sense of evil and malevolence. Grows and increases throughout. Builds up to a climax around 01:35 and ends with some heavy pounding and a return to the original horror mystery piano motif. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 65 BPM]
A mysterious, brooding opening soon gives way to an epic, dark track featuring orchestra, drums and choir. Huge climactic ending - great for trailers. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 95 BPM]
Use of Eastern percussion to bring across the clash of the titans on the battlefield, coming face to face with your adversary. Gearing for war, high impact, action, battle, fight, conquest, confrontation, combat. Recorder, shakers, dufflis, duff, dhol. [Tempo: Fast / 135 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]
A somewhat mystical and intriguing, orchestral score for drama, family adventure, fantasy or storytelling. Slightly quirky and stormy, this piece has a sense of intrigue, wonder - and perhaps a new angle? [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
A mix of orchestral and electronic elements creates a beautiful tension. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 92 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]
A moving, liquid, driving underscore, hybrid, combining electronic and orchestral elements. String and piano leads with percussion and synthesizer elements. Futuristic and organic feel. Tense, ominous. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Suspense-filled heavy guitar dance track. Meaty and angular beats combine with synth basslines, sequences and pads. Very filmic, slightly dark and full of tense energy. Contains synths, drum units and distorted guitars. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 110 BPM]
