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 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 catchy, forward moving orchestral/electronic track suitable for action/thriller, featuring groovy drums and a powerful sub bass line that will give your project a nice touch. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 130 BPM]
A magical, sweeping, cinematic piece with a 'lurking' feel. Good as background music for fantasy and adventure, this track uses a full orchestra with bells. Pensive chord progressions. A sense of mystery and intrigue. Amazement and wonderment. Somewhat "Harry Potter-esque". Very craftfully produced orchestral sound. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]
Dark, aggressive and very rhythmic composition with menacing, machine-like drumsounds and effects. Edgy, mysterious and suspense-packed. Suitable as a movie score for science fiction, technology and action. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 110 BPM]
Heavy bass drums and a string bass set the tone for this dark and menacing track. The familiar refrain then plays, but is made expressive and almost violent as it is played on several string basses and cellos. Screeching dark, electronically chattery. Nightmarish. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
Influenced by the Breaking Bad soundtrack, dark, ambient, exotic and a touch quirky featuring resonator guitar, percussion, strings and fx. Drawing elements from south west america, world music and cinematic effects this is great for tv and film drama scores and themes, documentaries and travel. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 85 BPM]
Powerful trailer music full of momentum and drive. Good for promotions of video games, film or television needing that big Hollywood sound. Has a nice break in the middle just before a powerful ending. Emotional, strong and cinematic. [Tempo: Fast / 120 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]
Fast, frantic and hard hitting semi-orchestral, semi-electronic music for action, fight or racing scene. Distorted, twisted guitars, deep brass stabs, extremely fast techno breakbeat. Chase or battle material. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 115 BPM]
A mystical and amazing track featuring full orchestra, choir and a solo female voice with a very exotic, foreign, strange and alluring tone. Dramatic and intense, the orchestra sweeps and swoops, whilst the voice provides a strange and unusual quality; is she wailing in sorrow or spinning a web of intrigue and temptation? Also available without the vocals. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 160 BPM]
An orchestral track with a conflicting dark vs light approach. Very awe inspiring, regal / triumphant, but with a dark side. Perhaps the rise of an awesome army, a dark sorcerer or a hiding a terrible secret. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
Jazzy Experimental abstract track with a cinematic touch . [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 95 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]
A cinematic orchestral piece that evokes fear, sadness, anxiety, and magic. This track could work in scenes involving threat, supernatural forces or otherworldly and awe-inspiring locations. The middle section is quite dramatic. [Tempo: Medium / 92 BPM]
Ambient background track with an uneasy, pensive feel. Dark, ominous and threatening, this track suggests danger and death. The track could suit scenes in a graveyard or other dark place, or tense scenes where a character is sneaking around, trying to avoid being caught. Exploring at night, dangers lurking. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 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]
Cinematic action/adventure score starting with just horns before intense percussion, string motiff and dissonant orchestra lead the chase with a sense of urgency. Good for battles, racing against the clock, tense dramas, danger and peril ala Snow White, Hunger Games etc. [Tempo: Fast / 120 BPM]
A disturbing and horrific piece of music for use with horror, fright, terror and tension. Available in various different versions / mixes / lengths. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 150 BPM]
Sinister orchestra over an urban beat and retro style theremin. Spooky and atmospheric perfect for contemporary halloween and horror projects. [Tempo: Slow / 80 BPM]
A piano track with a repeated / ostinato piano pattern, and a sense of tension and intrigue. Developing story, building up to a major event. Pensive, secretive, mysterious. Good for drama / tension. Performed live on an old upright piano, with a nostalgic, organic sound. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 85 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 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]
Cold, dystopian music. Foreboding. Ambient, haunting beginning and end parts and a more harsh middle section with violent, distorted stabs. Methodical, lost, spacey. Good for scifi, dark futures, space music, extraterrestrial exploration, etc. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 75 BPM]
Someone is being followed as they drive towards their destiny, a final showdown. Orchestra with interesting guitar, synth and percussion layers. Perfect for a modern suspenseful film. The music gets big and epic, yet at times is also smaller in scope, intricate and suspenseful. [Tempo: Medium / 98 BPM]
Starts with an ominous repetitive low horn blow, and builds up towards a full orchestral and choir theme. Dark and powerful trailer music, inspired by mind bending, psychological and twisted up sci-fi action thrillers. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
Ambient synth with strings and choir swells, at the start it invokes a chilling sense of mystery. Tribal drums suggest a lost civilization... and something BIG is being unearthed. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 75 BPM]
This dark, suspenseful track builds tension with a combination of synth elements, huge percussion, and piano. Perfect for a reality TV show elimination scene, in which someone gets voted off, or a chase scene in a horror movie. [Tempo: Slow / 81 BPM]
Ethnic flutes and duduk, orchestra and percussion. Someone is on a long journey and is in a cold and foreign land. Great for travel documentaries or suspenseful scenes in TV and film. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 91 BPM]
A feeling of rising tension pervades this epic TV drama style track. Think 24. [Tempo: Medium / 124 BPM]
A dark, gloomy, emotional and sorrowful underscore for sci-fi, thriller, mystery, or action drama. Conflict, unease, with an ethnic / world mystery undertow. Available with or without drums, and with or without a wailing, sorrowful, ethnic solo vocal. Desolate / Tense / Uncertain. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 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]
A dark, sneaky, and malevolent sounding underscore for sci-fi, mystery and horror. For the most part dark ambient, but a section with pounding drums that can be edited into place for a more action based bed track. Horrific / Extreme danger / Otherworldly. Also available without the drums and with / without the vocal. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
A tense and dark action / sci-fi / thriller underscore. Dark pads and twitchy, ethereal soundscapes, with action thriller style drum / percussion parts. Think horror / mystery / science fiction / dark drama. Can also be for very edgy sports footage. Available with or without the drums. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Dark, tense, underscore with a somewhat Tribal feel. Can be ancient cultures / religions / mystical world history, or Futuristic / Sci-fi / Adventure. Ethereal pads, tribal percussion, mangled synth sounds. Some chanting, war like vocals also join in towards the end. Available with or without the drums, and with or without the vocals. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 105 BPM]
Dark, Pensive underscore track for Action Thriller / Mystery / Horror / Sci-fi / Adventure. A Tribal / Ancient / Mystical backdrop meets with Ethereal pads and pounding percussion. Awe / Tension / Amazement / Drama. A rich, cinematic, dark sound. Available with or without the drums, and with or without the ethereal vocals. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
A dark, sneaky, and malevolent sounding underscore for sci-fi, mystery and horror. For the most part dark ambient, but two sections with pounding drums that can be edited into place for a more action based bed track. Horrific / Extreme danger / Otherworldly. Also available without the drums and with / without the vocal. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
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]
This orchestral piece conveys the feeling of being swept away. The has a turbulent feel that lends it to working well in scenes of storms, tornados or general mayhem. [Tempo: Fast / 122 BPM]
A very dark and threatening orchestral soundtrack, featuring repeating waves of foreboding, ominous, menacing swells. Highly dramatic and spine chilling. Apocalypse / Emergency. [Tempo: Slow / 70 BPM]
An orchestral / Cinematic cue with a growing, increasing intensity throughout. Suitable for a scene that starts off suspiciously or tentatively, then activity increases and finally all is revealed. Good for adventure, fantasy, family movies, magic and mischief, exploration and more. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 70 BPM]
A dark, rhythmic, and ever intensifying piece of orchestral music, available with or without vocal chanting and howling. This piece has something of the wild about it, something primal. It keeps growing, growing, growing until the climax at about 2:10 and then ends with a haunting afterthought. Aggressive / Menacing / Threatening. [Tempo: Slow / 60 BPM]
Strings and relentless edgy drums lead the way, building tension to a contemplative, dreamy middle section. It would be perfect for documentaries, films and advertising. Big ending would be great as a finale to a montage or action scene. The ending could also work well in an elimination scene in a reality show like Survivor or The Amazing Race. [Tempo: Slow / 91 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]
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]
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 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]
A dark and driving cinematic cue consisting of strings, electronic drums and ominous synths. A huge sounding track which is epic in every sense - some unusual key changes create a powerful and unique sound. [Tempo: Medium / 70 BPM]
Opening with epic strings and huge sounding synths, this is a massive sounding track complete with risers and boomers for transitions. Perfect for an epic trailer - a huge sounding female choir joins in for the main theme. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 85 BPM]
Ominous synths with pounding drums set the scene, while solo violin creates a lyrical and emotional mood. Huge brass section enters at 0:55 to create a massive sounding theme along with violins and booming crunchy drums. Epic in every sense - good for a movie trailer. [Tempo: Slow / 125 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]