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.
Deep and brooding strings establish a mysterious atmosphere before climaxing and evolving into a powerful, confident theme statement. Rich strings and horns make for an epic feel. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 72 BPM]
Cinematic style track built from loops. Cold piano is layered with percussion, horns, strings, and organ to create a driving mood. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 99 BPM]
An unsettling track. Oboe and prepared piano weave their way through dark foghorn stabs and unearthly choral textures. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 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]
A dark, brooding piece. It starts with a low synthy bass. The melody is subtle, but grows with each iteration. It builds as it repeats itself. The last section adds a subtle rhythmic element, insinuating a growing nervousness. Perfect for a documentary or horror film/tv show. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 80 BPM]
A dramatic, driven piece. It starts with low strings and a driving drum beat. It grows into a powerful, epic conclusion, full of brassy horns and epic percussion. Perfect for a battle scene or an epic chase. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
A conniving, dramatic string movement. It starts with a solo cello and viola, playing a static, offset melody. It grows into an epic, sneaky orchestral bombardment. It would work well as a period piece, or in a documentary. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 92 BPM]
Dark and pulsating, mystery or thriller underscore. Ominous, suspicious, with pulse bass alternating with bass guitar, and echoey percussion. Great tension track for use with police investigation, spy thriller, criminals / crime in progress, break-in, stake-out, clandestine mission, etc. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 76 BPM]
A pulsating tension track, combining electronic and orchestral elements. Serious, suspenseful, tension building and with a feeling of awe. The intensity increases throughout the track. Something big is approaching, as this cinematic music moves toward a strong conclusion. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium / 0 BPM]
A dark and determined, forceful and methodical, orchestral march. Relentlessly marching on, an awesome force. Dark / Foreboding / Relentless / Doom-laden / Forceful. [Tempo: Medium / 95 BPM]
Pulsating, monotonous bass. Occasional repetitive piano melody. Minimal percussion, building sound effects. Evokes a sense of menace, mystery, uncertainty and tension. Suitable for dramatic films, spies and undercover agents, criminals / crime in progress and stakeout operations. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 77 BPM]
Pulsating low bass, rhythmic low percussion toms. Merging the aesthetics of tension with trailer music elements. Conveys a sense of threat, uncertainty, and horror. Suitable for dystopian sci-fi, action thrillers, crime dramas, spy / undercover agent, military operations or horror movie trailers. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
Methodical pulsating bass, ethnic percussion, and a powerful deep kick. Methodical and cold, with an atmosphere of dystopia, suspicion, foreboding and mystery. Suitable for hacker documentaries, crime series, undercover operations, investigations, etc. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
Low, propulsive deep bass. Gradually building an atmosphere of horror, dystopia, uncertainty, and fear. Suitable for horror movies, thrillers, crime and criminal investigation, sci-fi and mystery, spies, undercover agents, danger and tension.(Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
Fast rhythmic tempo. Low, propulsive bass. Looping sequences. Suitable for scenes depicting escape, dynamic pursuits, crime in progress. Stress, chase, action, time running out. Ideal for police operations / Special Ops, crime thriller or mystery, where the need is to convey fast-paced action. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Fast, Very fast / 150 BPM]
This orchestral cinematic soundtrack has a sense of greatness and grandeur, but without going all out. Poignant and graceful, the track has a darkness, but is also filled with awe, amazement and wonderment. The track builds up to a climax around the 01:20 mark. Emotional, soaring, and with dignity and a timeless cinema sound. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 135 BPM]
A minimalistic and sparse ambient music track with a repeating bass figure over kalimba and subtle percussion. Light tension, time passing, observation. Useful as illustrative background music for TV, film and other media. [Tempo: Medium / 95 BPM]
A dark, minimal, and sparse track with hypnotic bass, pulsing synths and light percussion. Crime, danger, tension. Mysterious and tension building. (Stem files available). [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
A dark and edgy piece with a sense of foreboding and ominous forces. A pulsating deep rhythm with strings, brass and occasional gothic choir chants, like from an occult séance or a dark ritual. Mystical / Tense / Occult / Horror / Creepy / Gritty / Shocking. [Tempo: Slow / 90 BPM]
An orchestral trailer with a rich bass that slowly unfolds and builds towards a climax. The woodwinds are inspired by 'The Moldau' by Smetana. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
Modern, propulsive, restless bass. A sense of suspension, unease, and threat. Tension evolving towards trailer music. Tension / Trailer / Modern Music. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
Low, massive, propulsive bass. Ominous, spatial percussion instruments. Evokes a sense of unease, tension, and threat. Ideal for projects related to tension, crime, and drama. [Tempo: Fast / 150 BPM]
Low, propulsive, massive bass. Toxic, overdriven percussion. Disturbing main motif on the piano. A sense of sadness, suspension, perpetual tension. Disturbing / Suspenseful / Emotional. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
Low, deep synthetic toms. Spatial effects. Powerful, overdriven percussion. Suitable for noir, laboratory, criminal mysteries. Noir / Crime / Mysteries. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 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]
Intense and atmospheric, this track would be great for setting an ominous, chaotic, evil mood. Filled with advanced string performances and an eerie choir. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 0 BPM]
A moody, echoing march. Heave synth sounds, and sparse melodies. Sets a mood that is ominous and mysterious. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 53 BPM]
Powerful and intense, this track is perfect for a ritualistic scene. Strings accompanied by hissing chanting chaotic choirs. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 90 BPM]
Brooding and ominous, this dark tension & horror track grows from a quiet drone and builds to an intense atonal conclusion. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast, Very fast / 0 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 dark and dramatic, cinematic trailer or action / tension score. Doom-laden / Foreboding / Serious / Tense. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium / 90 BPM]
A dramatic, semi-orchestral and cinematic track filled with rousing emotions, building tension. A sense of witnessing history in the making, amazement and heroism. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
Sad and emotional piece made for extreme visual and cinematic solutions. Heavy orchestral drums led by high piercing strings and basses following. The beginning of the track starts soft and builds upon itself with a tense and dramatic movement. This track is perfect as a theme or even any emotional cinema, it contains a start-stop feel to really offset the strings which lends itself for a very beautiful sound. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 120 BPM]
Cello-led with cinematic orchestral with violin leads and string accompaniment. Versatile, thematic in nature, steady track with lots of movement and motion sonically. Raw, naked, film noir, chamber orchestra sound. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 90 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]
Conclusive and highly dramatic in nature, this track is made with a epic dramatic end in mind to convey a massive conclusion about to accur. Perfect for the end of a story or movie, or anything fit for an intense moment or story ahead. An arpeggio driven track with a massive multiple string sections backing this giant sounding track. Theme-worthy and versatile in every aspect, this track is perfect for cinematic demands. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 157 BPM]
This chamber orchestra track has a balance of story-telling and cinematic drama capabilities and can be used in a wide range of media. A beautiful piano arpeggio melody to accompany this track and the soft and sudden piercing stabs and leads with the violin to really bring the most emotion and enjoyment of this beautiful melody and emotional track. Edgy, raw, close, live strings production. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 65 BPM]
A gritty, tense and constantly building track with a sudden halt to push towards the next boundary in the middle of this cinematic soundtrack. Suitable for dramatic, edgy and dark story-telling. A raw, dark and intense orchestral soundtrack. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Fast / 160 BPM]
A thrilling, pulsating and action-filled, gritty and raw, action percussion track. Intense and stressed, this is a great modern action thriller soundtrack. Great for spies, secret agents, covert missions, chase, crime in progress, swat team, etc. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Fast / 134 BPM]
Foreboding and tension-building action / thriller track with a gritty urban feel. Hard-hitting percussion with hip-hop drums, massive blaring brass and spy thriller like flute riffs combine to make a very ominous and urgent sounding action soundtrack. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 85 BPM]
A very dark, powerful and dramatic horror / thriller track. Foreboding and scary. Eventful and intense. Combining orchestral elements with dark and powerful percussion and choir risers, this horror action track swarms and squirms through various stages and keeps developing throughout. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Medium / 96 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 tension and suspense music bringing the rising power of orchestra, large brass ensemble and explosive and powerful percussion ensemble. Amazement / Uprising / Glory / Grandeur. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 85 BPM]
String quintet developing a dramatic theme, suited for dramatic series involving psycological or criminal content. Timeless, with a classic / classical influence music. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 160 BPM]
Hybrid industrial trailer music track with pounding drums and sound design elements. Tense, urgent, violent music. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 146 BPM]
A brooding and atmospheric music track, featuring a haunting mood of northern cold and tribal beat. Suitable for epic scenery, historical music, cultural themes, indigenous peoples and cultures, far-away lands and amazing stories of wonder and awe. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 75 BPM]