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 dark, pulsating and suspenseful track featuring dramatic strings, brass, percussion. A feeling of urgency, tension and dangerous situation. Brooding / Tense / Uneasy / Apprehensive. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 140 BPM]
Big, powerful and epic music track made with big orchestra, epic choir and drums. Two parts, ending with big hit, suitable for trailers. Dramatic / Epic / Orchestral Music. [Tempo: Medium / 150 BPM]
Soundtrack / Sci-fi / Space / Fantasy. Understated and a little ominous, this track evokes a subtle sense of being threatened. Could work in dystopian settings or scenes involving suspense or danger. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 110 BPM]
Jazzy, abstract intro. Grows in intensity as it goes along, and introduces new elements. Works well as an intro to something with high expectation. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 160 BPM]
Dark and ominous, foreboding and hard pounding, cinematic track. Orchestra, choir and big drums. Dramatic / Epic / Edgy / Powerful / Dark. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 98 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, Fast / 98 BPM]
A huge great bouncy meatball of a tune. Pulsing synth bass and syncopated drum groove make this one swing large. Various parts come and go but the beat must and will go on. Contains synths, drums, choirs and eastern oboes. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 133 BPM]
Dark, sinister & menacing electro-rock track. Twisted, pulsing synths combine with slow dramatic strings and jagged beats, slowly building to an intense and heavy guitar-fueled climax. Would suit horror / thriller / action / suspense / halloween projects. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 112 BPM]
Enhance your scenes of long and dark winters, loneliness, mystery, broken hearts or breathtaking nature with this brooding, urban downtempo track featuring piano, pads, bells, bass and drums. Creates a real feeling of space and emptiness over a relaxed funky groove. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 77 BPM]
A dark, percussive piece. Low, swelling strings and steady drums lead into an intense pulsing action cue. A hero's theme of determination. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 97 BPM]
A cold and somewhat eerie track, with a pulsating, textured synth pad underneath mystical piano notes. Haunting and immersive. [Tempo: Slow / 75 BPM]
A grand, ominous, dramatic and cinematic music track, with a sense of impending drama and with a slightly sorrowful, troubled undertone. Use as music for film / movie / game / trailer project. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 60 BPM]
A cinematic and classical music composition with a chamber orchestra arrangement, this stormy and mysterious track has the sound of a classic mystery. Riveting and turbulent, raw strings pull us through a dramatic 2 minutes of tension and turmoil. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 140 BPM]
Dramatic rising cinematic track driven by powerful percussion. The track begins calmly and builds to a powerful conclusion. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 70 BPM]
A staccato and arpeggio driven track by the cello. High, dense leads with the violin to push for a dramatic tense and dry sound. Minimal, constant and evolving. Raw, edgy, neo-classical. Tense and disturbing. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 70 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]
Action-packed orchestral chase scene with traditional Arabic musical influences. Harmonic minor scale. Featuring dramatic strings and drums, with the occasional sting of the dulcimer. Perfect for a fight, race, or epic battle scene. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 118 BPM]
An epic music track with a dark atmosphere and uprising mood. The track opens with a dark analog synth, layered with moody piano notes and effects. Cinematic strings and taiko drums help build tension to the main reveal. The main part of the track explodes with huge distorted drums, a call to action melody and epic string section. Suitable as music for video game and movie trailers, action scenes, scenes of battle or hero struggle. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 155 BPM]
Dark, brooding, foreboding & cinematic rock track. A tense, dramatic intro leads to monster riffs and driven drum beats, powering forward with a great sense of sinister, evil energy. Would suit thriller/horror/halloween type projects. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 146 BPM]
An open, transparent underscore music with a somewhat mysterious, pensive tone. Echoey guitars over a slightly dark drone. Thoughtful and reflective, perhaps regret or waiting for something. The end part takes on a more assertive, gloomy, doom laden feel. Also available as an Underscore version, and as a version without the drums. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 90 BPM]
These dark horror cues can be classed either as "music cues" or "sound effects", as in reality they function as both. They are all recorded with a large, live symphony orchestra with the same quality as any soundtrack from big budget movies. The effects are easy to loop and edit, and can be tailored to fit any cue, as they can be used from virtually any point. Consider them a construction kit to score horror, mystery and dark drama. Recorded, mastered, and delivered to you in pristine 24-bit audio. Also look for YS Horror Cues 01-20 and YS Horror Cues 41-60. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]
Electronica infused orchestral music. Synth low pulse drives the music with anticipation, joined by low drones and epic percussion. Good music for war preparation, rendezvous scenes, crime investigation, video games and more. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 110 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 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]
Dramatic and ominous, this orchestral / symphonic theme could suggest the rise of a great evil, or a world under threat. It might particularly be suited to scenes where a hidden danger is revealed. Dramatic / Fantasy. [Tempo: Medium / 112 BPM]
Pattern based 20th Century minimalist music. Surreal, Rhythmic, Underscore, Tension. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 132 BPM]
Pulsing and bouncy music track, featuring introspective piano and rugged synthesizer that create intrigue and mystery. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Horror movie inspired industrial metal powered by electronic beats. Heavy distorted guitar tones meet filthy electronica in horror filled basement. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 140 BPM]
Edgy, orchestral and electronic music mood. Imposing and tense, building throughout. Epic / Futuristic / Powerful music track. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
A dark and intense music track, slowly building from a quiet and suspense atmosphere. Evolves into a big, and powerful track loaded with orchestral and hybrid sounds, accompanied with choir. Epic / Sci-Fi / Future Music. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 75 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]
Dark, grand, glorious, glorifying soundtrack piece. Rising up, epic, dominant, malevolent. Low choir voices. Pounding rhythm. Staccato brass stabs. Powerful, determined. Perhaps a dark temple, evil wizard, sorcerer or religious cult, sect, religion, ritual. [Tempo: Medium / 70 BPM]
Dark, edgy, doom-laden mystery underscore. Foreboding. Tension. Pulse. Danger. [Tempo: Slow / 120 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]
Inspired by classic role playing video games, the noble orchestra of this piece creates a heroic mood as its sets the stage for dark challenges in a dangerous dungeon. [Tempo: Slow / 65 BPM]
A suspenseful and mysterious tension track. Pulsating underscore suitable for action thriller, psychological thriller, spy mystery, dark films and TV series. A sense of foreboding and unease. Mystical / Tense / Ominous. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
Ambient textures on top of dubstep beats and atmospheric sounds. A chilled, eerie, drum'n bass influenced soundtrack. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow, Medium / 140 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]
A mystical and quirky track made with orchestra and sound design. No divided parts, soundtrack styled. Background music / horror / tension / spooky / eerie / quirky. [Tempo: Slow / 120 BPM]
An ominous and foreboding suspense music, starting slowly and then rising into an emotional, epic piece. Featuring full orchestra combined with piano and pulsating synths. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 155 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: Medium, Fast / 160 BPM]
An intense and powerful blend of orchestral and metal music, with loud, heavy metal drum section. Forceful / Tense / Dark music. [Tempo: Medium / 85 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]
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, Fast / 105 BPM]
Staccato and nervous, semi-orchestral tension underscore. Undercover, dangerous mission. Few guitar notes mixed with symphonic elements and a pulsating rhytmic backdrop. Movement, getting into position, primed and ready for action. Great for spy, mystery, thriller, crime, secret mission, military or swat team etc. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 125 BPM]
A sneaky and subtly pensive background / underscore track, suitable for mystery, discovery, exploration and for history / documentary etc. This is music that you don't really 'notice' as it doesn't stand out or grab the attention. It just stays in the background and provides a creepy, uneasy, mysterious atmosphere. Has a sense of dangers lurking nearby. The track is over 6 minutes long with no repetition at all, so it can be played in a loop for a long time without getting too repetitive. Can also be used for crime / criminal police / forensic investigation, puzzle solving etc. [Tempo: Slow / 0 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]
A Percussion Only track, with marching snares, military march. Occasional big drum strikes. Useful for scenes of battle, chase, urgency, action. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
Dark, cinematic and light suspenseful music track made with chamber orchestra. No divided parts. Dark / Spooky / Eerie / Quirky music. [Tempo: Medium / 145 BPM]
This track has a haunted overtone and pays a subtle homage to the music 'Dexter' in the theme. This cue would work well for film or television, opening credits, paranormal footage and spooky movie trailers. It features detuned piano and haunting choirs that makes a nice ghostly tension builder. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 70 BPM]