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.
Intriguing and impactful underscore for news items and other documentary features. This track has a sense of urgency with mild suspense. Documentary / Crime reporting / Cyber / Hacking / Police stakeout, etc. [Tempo: Medium / 80 BPM]
Full percussion and orchestral score suggests big open spaces, great adventures, new frontiers to conquer. Main battle drums set in after about a minute. [Tempo: Medium / 97 BPM]
A heavy hitting orchestral track with dubstep elements. Big hits along with epic string bring the track up to a massive drop. Main drop is heavy with low dubstep bass and distorted drums. The track builds up with a string melody to a big final hit with the distorted bass in the end. This track is good for cinematic trailers, scenes of battle and war. [Tempo: Slow / 65 BPM]
A modern sounding trailer style epic dramatic action music track, blending glitchy style digital synths and electronic drum loops with traditional orchestral scoring parts. Great for big blockbuster action films, sci fi, adventure and trailers. [Tempo: Medium / 105 BPM]
Primal and raw battle drums with battle chants. A historical or pre-historical sound of perhaps Vikings or Tribal warlords. Savages, Barbarians, Brutal warriors. Marching or maybe preparing for battle. Strong, menacing, foreboding. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 144 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 / 140 BPM]
Sneaky, suspicious, ambient track with a sense of future, sci-fi, space. Could be good for a scene of exploring a dangerous place, abandoned spaceship or warehouse, strange alien planet, etc. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 47 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]
Ominous and tense, semi-orchestral action or sci-fi track. Danger or evil forces. Also suitable as music for TV Reality Drama, crime, accidents, fire or other extreme danger. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 125 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 cue is a dark tension builder that is designed to set a suspenseful mood. It is reminiscent of eerie soundtracks such as Saw, Dexter, Silent Hill etc. It has paranormal overtones and peaks with a massive, intensely cinematic stinger. It would be well suited to horror, psychological thrillers and scenes requiring an unsettling suspense. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 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: Slow, Medium / 105 BPM]
A staccato, ominous, aggressive march, perhaps portaying battle ready hordes going off to war. Fantasy and adventure, medieval or historical, conquering forces. [Tempo: Slow / 56 BPM]
A cue consisting mainly of electronic sounds and synths. Large "bram" sounds from brass mixed with epic sounding strings which create a large cinematic sound. Distorted drums and driving guitars make this a huge sounding track. [Tempo: Medium / 110 BPM]
low drone and electronic percussion create an atmosphere of tension and expectation that builds to a release marked by an eerie fractured piano melody. [Tempo: Medium / 105 BPM]
A Percussion Only track, with big pounding drums in various more and less intense patterns. Useful for sound design, film scoring, games and more. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast, Very fast / 150 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]
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]
A cold and somewhat eerie track, with a pulsating, textured synth pad underneath mystical piano notes. Haunting and immersive. [Tempo: Slow / 75 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]
Wide drums, reverberated and distant strings give this track an open and mysterious feel. An underlining bass pulse brings a constant feel of tension. The track builds up to a big drum drop with effects that resemble a monster growl. Big hits layered with low bass following a wide and atmospheric opening theme create a strong impact. This track is good for movie and game trailers, scenes of investigation and spy scenes. [Tempo: Slow / 70 BPM]
This string-focused track takes the listener on a journey - danger/apprehension felt throughout, with hints of hope. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 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]
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 stirring and uneasy, urgent feeling, underscore for film/drama. Tension / Unease / Urgency / Foreboding. Great for things like a courtroom drama or perhaps police, detective work, crime in progress, etc. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 70 BPM]
This 80's-drenched, but also futuristic track is inspired by synth-heavy, 80's sci-fi action and mystery movies. Its arpeggiated bass and fluid synths invoke slightly shifting moods as the track progresses. There's a feeling of danger and adventure, perfect for road driving or flying type programming, crime in progress / criminal enterprise, emotive dramas, and flyovers. Outrun / Sparse / 80's Sci-fi. [Tempo: Medium / 131 BPM]
A Percussion Only track, with big pounding drums in various more and less intense patterns. Useful for sound design, film scoring, games and more. [Tempo: Medium / 150 BPM]
A Percussion Only track, with big pounding drums in various more and less intense patterns. Useful for sound design, film scoring, games and more. [Tempo: Fast, Very fast / 100 BPM]
A mysterious cloud of sounds made up of guitar effects and synths creates a sense of subtle uneasiness. About halfway in, the action intensifies with big drums ushering in a sense of urgency. The music later dissolves to the same sense of mystery it started with. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 95 BPM]
A percussive, suspenseful and threatening track with plenty of rhythmic synths and bass drops. Powerful brass theme creates a heroic mood, while electronic synths create an unusual mysterious sound. [Tempo: Medium / 130 BPM]
Tires squealing, sirens blaring, adrenalin flowing. The Chase begins. Dramatic, suspenseful, powerful track mixing electronic and orchestral elements. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 81 BPM]
Nervous soundtrack underscore for a classic western style duel. A mysterious lone ranger rides into town, will there be another shootout at the OK Corral? Interspersed with occasional mexican flavors. [Tempo: Slow / 70 BPM]
Suspenseful track with nervous strings and solemn, dignified brass. Like a hero in waiting, or awaiting onset of a battle. Foreboding, forewarning. Honor and valor. Also good for war documentary, etc. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
Dreamatic, slightly dark, cult music, eerie, sinister undertones, alternative. Electric guitar, rhythm, synth, strings, choir, horns. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 116 BPM]
A tense and threatening track that's great to use in a teaser trailer. With big percussion, synths, acoustic guitars, underlined by penetrating strings and brass. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 114 BPM]
Cool and ethereal electro rock track with a slightly sinister undertone. Spacey plucked santoors float over soft and spacey synth pads and noises as a slow, determined beat kicks in. Would suit dramatic or cinematic projects. [Tempo: Slow / 59 BPM]
Orchestral tension, movie soundtrack underscore. Tension, disturbing, anxious. [Tempo: Medium, Slow / 115 BPM]
Begins with a hypnotic synth bass hook and drum hook. As electric piano comes in, it slowly builds and eventually flowers into a lovely mellow pop chorus. Once the beat gets to you, it is mesmerizing. [Tempo: Medium / 160 BPM]
A haunting and eerie yet strangely beautiful track that starts out with a processed glockenspiel leading to electronic drums, bass, pads, tubular bells and various fx before ending with a soaring, passionate guitar solo. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 50 BPM]
Light suspenseful tension track suitable for reality television results shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, to keep your audience anxious. Low brooding bass, morphing synths, emphatic strings, and escalating percussion all work to create an intense edge-of-your-seat atmosphere. [Tempo: Fast / 144 BPM]
Dark, gloomy, sinister underscore for film, TV, games, thriller, chiller, horror, etc. Darkly sparkling. Suspenseful, few notes, somewhat experimental, ambient soundscapes. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 110 BPM]
Pensive, sinister, apprehensive, sneaking, waiting. Dramatic underscore that provides nerve and tension to film, crime, investigation, stakeout, horror or dark mystery. [Tempo: Medium / 105 BPM]
Military style battle music for underscore, TV or video game. Features low brass, percussion and strings. [Tempo: Medium / 104 BPM]
Pensive, percussive track with World / Ethnic undertones. Good for adventure, peril, expeditions and mystery. Travel show, documentary / history / geography / mythology etc. World heritage, with an element of danger and nerve. [Tempo: Medium / 110 BPM]
Pulsating sound design track with subtle but nervous percussion. Expectant, foreboding and slightly menacing. Good for use in thriller, action / adventure, sci-fi and sci-tek, future warfare, technology or suspense / action. Tense. Starts to build in intensity from 2:00 onwards and reaches a climax / crescendo at 02:55. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 115 BPM]
Predators are closing in, tension builds, an attempted escape, a chase. This is an fully orchestral cinematic score of underlying horror and suspense that builds up. Key of D, 120 bpm. [Tempo: Slow / 57 BPM]
Dark, edgy and dramatic electronic underscore, with big drums, orchestral horns, mechanical chimes and big drops. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 135 BPM]
Short evolving epic track with tension building. A climate of danger, mystery, anxiety leading to the climax ending part. [Tempo: Slow / 66 BPM]
A simple underscore featuring a string ostinato that builds tension and suspense under a scene. A worldly flute melody provides a colorful, mysterious "crimes and investigation" type feeling. [Tempo: Medium / 110 BPM]
A Percussion Only track, with marching snares, military march. Occasional big drum strikes. Useful for scenes of battle, chase, urgency, action. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 160 BPM]