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.
Full orchestra with piano and acoustic guitar build the tension gradually throughout. Subtle at first, about halfway through the tension goes up with low brass stabs. Perhaps someone suspects they are being followed, and their anxiety and dread grows. At the end, when they look back to see if the menace is still there, they see nothing. Was it all a dream, all in their head? [Tempo: Slow / 69 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]
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]
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]
Sexy, Romatic, Edgy, Ambient Electronica. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
A dark and grungy orchestral hybrid track. Unsettling distorted synth and drums keep a relentless and dark theme. The track slows down to a slight quiet break in the middle, followed by a loud and heavy drop that plays out to the end. This track is suitable for video game or movie trailers, scenes of struggle or battle. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 70 BPM]
An epic percussion section propels this menacing orchestral track. For trailers, suspenseful scenes or intense promos. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
A dark, swirling combination of piano, pulsating strings, electric guitar and synth. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 111 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]
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]
Brooding atmospherics as a distant vocal drifts across a deep menacing soundscape. At 1:38 soaring chords take the forefront offering hope & dignity. The track resolves with a feeling of pride and optimism. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 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]
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]
A music track in a Cinematic Action genre: energy, anticipation, escalation and breakdowns, and lots of evolving sounds. This piece is featuring many Synthesizers, drum beats and percussion instruments. Will work in films, trailers and videos that involve Spy Action, New Technologies, Computers and Hacking, Chase scenes, CIA investigations, Crime News etc. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 118 BPM]
Emotional, cinematic action track with a mystical feel in the beginning but escalating to a more dramatic orchestral ending, great for trailers, films, games and TV. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 80 BPM]
Dramatic rising cinematic track driven by powerful percussion. The track begins calmly and builds to a powerful conclusion. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 70 BPM]
Battle drums / marching percussion. A combination of orchestral percussion and ethnic / tribal drums. Suitable for battle, fight, chase, conflict, etc. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 70 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]
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]
Battle drums / marching percussion. A combination of orchestral percussion and ethnic / tribal drums. Suitable for battle, fight, chase, conflict, etc. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 102 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, Medium / 68 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]
Battle drums / marching percussion. A combination of orchestral percussion and ethnic / tribal drums. Suitable for battle, fight, chase, conflict, etc. [Tempo: Medium / 102 BPM]
Battle drums. Pounding percussion. A combination of orchestral percussion and ethnic / tribal drums. Suitable for battle, fight, chase, brawls and action scenes. [Tempo: Medium / 96 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]
Ominous and arid western atmosphere, inspired by modern TV drama like Breaking Bad and CSI. Crime and gangster feel, as well as police investigation mood. [Tempo: Slow / 90 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 dark and dramatic, tense and uneasy music track for danger and dramatic scenes. This track has an underlying nerve, a building, increasing arrangement that grows into an all-out action track from about 01:15. Intense, fiery, and good music for extreme danger, battle, critical situations and more. This track has a lot of starts, stops and sections, parts and "edit points", making it highly suitable for editing to fit the timing of your own footage. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Contemporary cinematic track with an intriguing, exciting and dynamic vibe featuring marimba, xylophone, piano, atmospheric pads, different kinds of percussion and arpeggiated synths, moving bass guitar, orchestral strings and upbeat drums. Suitable for dynamic scenes in films, TV series, commercials, documentaries and more. Exciting, contemporary music track with a unique and captivating vibe. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 150 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 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]
Soundtrack / Sci-fi / Space / Fantasy. An atmospheric and unsettling piece that utilizes orchestral effect textures to evoke an otherworldly sense of fear. Could be useful in scenes where the characters encounter something alien or scenes of paranormal horror. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 109 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 dark and poignant underscore for film / drama. Gloomy, but with hints of hope. Touching, personal and introspective. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
A mysterious track creating magical atmosphere. Multilayer composition featuring a variety of sounds: orchestral parts, strings, big choirs and opera voices, jazz type of percussion with symphonic drums and various sounds effects. Perfect for black humor movies or animations, entertainment projects as well as Halloween productions. [Tempo: Medium / 139 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]
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]
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]
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]
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 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 percussive and dark underscore track that has lots of moving light percussion lines, with dark and emotional cello playing over them. Piano and synths create an evil yet curious and magical sound. Lots of different sections that are a mix between powerful, strong, unusual and magical. Slightly similar to the music of the film The Fountain. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
A slightly dark and unsettling orchestral piece that builds in energy as it unfolds. Could be useful in scenes where characters are facing an obstacle, or scenes in which they are trying to find courage. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 68 BPM]
A rapid action theme suggesting a chase or pursuit. Scored for orchestra and choir, this track suggests a flight from danger in unsettling surroundings. It could also serve well in scenes where characters are facing a countdown or deadline. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 142 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]
An Edgy electronic based theme with Cinematic sensibilities using traditional Tribal Percussion along with Piano, Drums, Electronic pads, Electric Guitar, and Sound effects. [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
A dramatic and orchestral track with big drums and a sense of forward movement, increasing towards a final crescendo. Foreboding, staccato. Marching and relentless, like an unstoppable force. Also available without the drums, and as a version with the drums by themselves. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 80 BPM]
An open, transparent musical backdrop with a somewhat mysterious tone. This ambient guitar soundscape can work for many different media productions, including drama, reality show, nature- and underwater footage, crime and investigation, and much more. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 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 brooding and dark feeling soundtrack with an emotive undertone. Features violon, cello and piano, and has a distant Asian influence. [Tempo: Slow / 109 BPM]