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.
Edgy, orchestral and electronic music mood. Imposing and tense, building throughout. Epic / Futuristic / Powerful music track. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
A polished and serious-sounding, dramatic underscore for news broadcasts, TV news, news updates and breaking news - or for daring rescue missions or dangerous feats of bravery and risk-taking. Combining orchestral and electronic elements. Regal, trustworthy, on point, and on the scene. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
A dangerous and overwhelming piece of background music. Powerful and intense. Will work with danger, fear and dark scenes. Good for film, drama, entertainment. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 125 BPM]
Crime, drama underscore - eerie and dark with distorted undertones, bit crushed bass and piano. Uncomfortable and Tense. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 128 BPM]
Ambient, dark, slightly tense with low piano notes, light percussion, synth choir and fx. Good for eliminations on reality shows, tv and film dramas, crime, horrors, mysteries, thrillers and documentaries. [Tempo: Slow / 64 BPM]
A rhythmic, pensive, tense soundtrack based on orchestra and pounding, epic percussion. Good for rescue mission, military conflict / mission, grand adventures. Has a sense of something ethnic and foreign, but without being tied to a specific country or region. This track is also available with an additional Lead Vocal [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 97 BPM]
Minimal piano leads into an ominous, dark, heroic orchestral music theme. Tension / Dystopia / Edgy music. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 150 BPM]
A neoclassical and cinematic drama piece created for strings with orchestra. This track builds up gradually and has a sense of impending doom. Approaching danger. Turmoil building up. Raw chamber strings hammer away relentlessly into the storm, on a backdrop of edgy and dark orchestral sounds, with a ticking clock, as if to warm that time is running out. Also available without the ticking clock effect. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 100 BPM]
Military / Science fiction soundtrack style. A slow, pensive and mysterious opening gives way after a couple of minutes to a pompous, staccato horn stabs and marching snares and all-out battle with horn stabs and fast congas. Sci-fi and battle/chase scenes. Ominous, dramatic, conflict. [Tempo: Medium / 80 BPM]
Dark ambient, Horror underscore. Mysterious / Creepy / Echoey / Haunting [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 80 BPM]
Deep bass lines and synths build a dark and intense atmosphere with a sense of suspense and drama. Good track for underscore dramatic situations. An amazing fusion of distorted guotar lines, percussion and strings. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 100 BPM]
An intense sequence of pulsating rhythms that indicate action and risk. Electronic / Undercover / Technology Music. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
Cinematic retro synth wave; this track was created using only two vintage hardware synthesizers; a Moog Minimoog model D and a Prophet 5. Strangely futuristic and vintage at the same time. Ambient / Eerie / Synthetic / Retro / Mystery. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
A swarm of rogue Robots is loose in the city: will our hero save the day? Orchestral, electronic and rock elements build a SciFi atmosphere with dynamic and tension shifts. Good for opening credits or action sequence score. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 123 BPM]
Suitable for modern thrillers, this track features atmospheric and tense layers, orchestra, drums and synth. The tension mounts, with the drama intensifying towards the climactic ending. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 84 BPM]
A bleak and mournful track used in a documentary about the Hungerford Massacre. A crying female vocal works alongside a desolate piano, acoustic guitars, and drums to a very powerful and emotional climax. The variations offer gentler alternatives to the man track. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 64 BPM]
Floating and building music track, featuring pulsing electronic elements, dark atmospheric textures and dramatic percussion that creates tension. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 128 BPM]
Warm and ambient music, featuring pulsing bass patterns and smooth textures that create a mood of intrigue. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 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]
A collection of 4 short royalty-free music / sound-fx productions for horror, mystery, suspense, thriller. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]
Mystical / Dark / Foreboding / Uneasy / Eerie / Urgent Music. Small orchestra soundtrack piece, featuring live performed orchestral instruments, suitable as music for film and other media. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 154 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]
An edgy, dark & moody underscore bed that dips and weaves on an atmospheric journey through threatening and dangerous territory. Menacing washes & distant metallic crashes add other layers of anticipation to this uneasy soundscape. A variety of mixes add flexibility, including a 7-minute mix for extended usages. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 116 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]
A suspenseful and stirring chamber music track starting with piano, and evolving into very cinematic, trailer track without percussion and brasses, making it slightly softer and cleaner trailer type of music. A sense of movement, activity, something building up, nearing, increasing. [The 'Radio Edit' version has been edited to reduce the 'intensity' of the most dramatic/climax part of the track. This could make it less suitable for drama, advertising etc. where you need a build-up to a climax, but more even-going, more suitable for just listening.] [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 190 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]
Dark and ominously hybrid tension music with electronica elements, pulsating rhythm, deep, impactful taiko percussion, and ambient pads. Suitable for suspenseful film scenes, thriller documentaries, and crime investigation podcasts. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 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]
Sneaky, gloomy, pensive, dark and suspenseful underscore. Subtle, pulsating percussion, mystery guitar notes, low key staccato strings and occasional subtle marching snare. Nervous strings. Great for spy, thriller, mystery, undercover or secret missions - hiding, sneaking. [Tempo: Slow / 91 BPM]
A feeling of suspense and eerieness. Chase, suspense, urgent, uneasy, tension, anticipation. Sneaky tension. World percussion, strings, horns, synths. [Tempo: Medium / 83 BPM]
Electronic elements mixed with a huge dark brass section. Incredible sounding distorted drums mixed with orchestral instruments make this a unique sounding cue. Similar in style to Tron with cool synths and Inception for the massive brass section. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
Opening with moving electronic sounds, and pounding drums, this is a powerful and cinematic track which creates a heroic and huge sound. An unusual mix of electronic and orchestral sounds which creates a dark and determined feeling. [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
A bone chilling, minimal score of sound design and heavily effected, droning instruments perfect for horror, crime and mystery. Very tense, serious and dark. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 100 BPM]
A subtle orchestral film soundtrack underscore, nervous and dark with a feeling of mystery and hidden truths. Delicate, frail strings, mysterious woodwinds, sneaky backdrop. Good for drama, exploration, danger, lurking and sneaking, unfolding story. Dark and pensive, but not openly horror or terror. More suspicion, exploration in a dark place. Good for film and TV, also for adventure games etc. [Tempo: Very slow / 81 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]
Dark, gloomy, sinister underscore for film, TV, games, thriller, chiller, horror, etc. Darkly sparkling. Suspenseful, few notes, somewhat experimental, ambient soundscapes. [Tempo: Very slow, Medium, Fast / 122 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 spooky and mysterious cinematic music composition with ever-evolving harmonies and scary vibe, with a tongue-in-cheek / fun mystery vibe. Great for Halloween-related videos, films and projects, magic music and mischief! [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 130 BPM]
Battle drums / marching percussion. A combination of orchestral percussion and ethnic / tribal drums. Suitable for battle, fight, chase, conflict, etc. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 60 BPM]
Hip Hop styled theme to the urban underworld. Groovey beats combine with plucked strings, synth pads and leads to make a hypnotic and unnervingly atmospheric soundscape. Don't look behind you. [Tempo: Slow / 90 BPM]
A very dark and disturbing horror / scifi / mystery track, with harsh, metallic pads and percussion counterpositioned against a fragile soprano voice. Can be both Ancient and Futuristic. Tense / Nervous pulse. Action thriller / Undercover / Sci-fi / Mystical. Also available without the drums, which makes it a more Ambient / Dark Underscore type track. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 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 suspenseful and intense cue which creates an ominous, threatening and foreboding feeling. Distorted guitars, piano and electronic elements all come together to create a tense and apocalyptic sound. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Huge, wide-ranging score of epic proportion - last warrior on a blood-soaked battlefield pulls himself out of the mire only to discover that he is the last man standing. He gathers his strength and returns to his village in triumph but with a broken spirit. This score contains mystical elements, bombastic outbursts, scenes of total destruction and unimaginable tragedy and despair, with a driving rhythmic second half building to a heroic climax and eerily subdued final resolution. Good for epic battle, blood-soaked battleground, action/adventure. This track is recorded with a real live philharmonic orchestra. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]
Dramatic accented strings, heavy percussion, blasting brass and pulsating synths give this track a dramatic, epic and futuristic vibe. Intended for epic promos, video games, sports, trailer and dramatic radio cues. Also ideal for breaking news, tragedy, turmoil, tension and struggle in reality TV shows like Celebrity Apprentice, The Ultimate Fighter, Survivor, Fear Factor and The Bachelor. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 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]
A orchestral hybrid royalty free music cue, the use of 70's / 80's synths in combination with the common orchestra, this piece has a modern Sci-Fi feel with an A-list Hollywood production. The use of orchestral hits throughout this cue gives momentum and pace to any scene, as the piece concludes it ranges in dynamics to give the most dramatic end. Dramatic / Tension / Apocalypse Music. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Horror Mystery Soundtrack. Intrusive / Malevolent / Dark Hits / Disturbing. [Tempo: Slow / 0 BPM]
A mysterious cinematic thrill ride with tense edgy percussion, strings, harp, brass, pizzicato. Good for reality television, trailers, action, adventure, advertisements, and any production needing relentless heart pounding excitement. [Tempo: Fast / 121 BPM]
A broody, dark, cinematic track with a slight military / operation feel. Barely audible lo-fi telecommunications over dark beds of mangled and distorted synth pads and guitars. Undercover operation, military or space / sci-fi material. Sneaky, suspicious and ominous. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 75 BPM]