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.
Thrilling chase feel, orchestral with electronic elements and guitars. Powerful, dark, busy, fast, tense and cold with a slight industrial edge. [Tempo: Fast / 132 BPM]
Atmospheric, spacey, slightly dark rock track with electronic elements and orchestra strings. Build-up towards the climax at 2:20. Conflict, Police / Agent, Undercover operation, Military operation etc. Futuristic / edgy / determined / science feel. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 160 BPM]
Dark, edgy track that starts out with a hypnotic, sneaky bass pulse that is later joined by big, hard hitting drums. Processed guitar riffs, industrial percussion and electronic effects come in later. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 155 BPM]
A dark, mysterious track using a combination of electronic and orchestral elements, that starts out ominous and foreboding with synth arpeggio, strings and slow drum pulse. The track speeds up at 1:14 when fast electronic percussion loops join in. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 155 BPM]
A darkly epic and menacing atmosphere built by low pitched cellos, distorted, mechanical drum beats, stabbing brass and spacious electronics. Conflict, chase, thriller, sci-fi. [Tempo: Fast / 150 BPM]
For Thriller, Suspense, Horror, Police, Criminal investigation. Ominous repetitive piano and harp motif builds up into a full orchestral climax. Good for opening credits and crime and investigation series. [Tempo: Medium / 90 BPM]
An epic and rousing track for sci-fi, adventure, epic scenes. Features actual live performed orchestral instruments in combination with samples. Strong, valiant feel, with a methodical, slow march rhythm. Amazement / Glory. Good for science fiction. Big orchestral sound with choir. [Tempo: Slow / 90 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]
Soundtrack for battle scenes or impending battles. Big, epic and dominating strings, brass and cymbals collide to create the atmosphere for war. Adventurous, courageous, crusading music. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
Baraka, Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, landscape, soundscape, desert, deserted, Carl Sagan, Mystery, Cosmos, Universe, Big Bang, Godfrey Reggio, Philip Glass, Ron Fricke, Dead Can Dance, Contemplative, Slow, Intense, Maya, Mayans, 2012, End of the world, Mayan Calendar, Nostradamus, Prediction, Prophecy, Prophecies, Shaman, Ayahuasca, Mind Travel, ESP, Alien, UFO, ET, Extra-Terrestrial, Buddha, Buda, Nepal, Tibet, dark, darkness, scifi, sci fi, sci-fi, science fiction, desolate, space, emptiness, vacuum, aliens, mind control, meditation, meditate, yoga, mystery, mysterious, mystical, apocalypse, post apocalyptic, nuclear winter, underwater, under water, sorcery, sorceror, witch, pensive, scary, horror, tibetan, monk, monks, Ancient soundscape with some oriental influences, especially the Tibetan tuvan monk singing, typical from Nepal. Great for history documentaries and specials. Also for sci-fi and horror. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 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]
A heavy hitting orchestral track with dubstep elements. Big hits along with epic string bring the track up to a massive drop. Main drop is heavy with low dubstep bass and distorted drums. The track builds up with a string melody to a big final hit with the distorted bass in the end. This track is good for cinematic trailers, scenes of battle and war. [Tempo: Slow / 65 BPM]
An epic percussion section propels this menacing orchestral track. For trailers, suspenseful scenes or intense promos. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
A red sun rises on a desolate, war torn city in the middle east. A soldier looks out over the smoke clouds and wonders if the end justifies the means. Epic in scope, yet full of space, would be perfect for travel documentaries requiring a moody atmosphere. Also great for understated, brooding trailers and promos. Orchestra, ethnic instruments (duduk), large percussion and atmospheric pads. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 83 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]
Cinematic dramatic action track with deep and dark vibe and growing tension. Good for jungle and forest scenes, ambush in the battle, war and special military operations, spy films and videos. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
Dark ambient, Horror underscore. Mysterious / Suspicious / Ominous. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 80 BPM]
Dark ambient, Horror underscore. Mysterious / Creepy / Echoey / Haunting [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 80 BPM]
Dark pulse. Evil / Malevolent. Sneaky / Suspicious. Horror / Gothic underscore. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
Dark ambient, Horror underscore. Dizzy / Sickly / Uneasy. Rhythmic pulse. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 65 BPM]
Dark ambient, Horror underscore. Mysterious / Suspicious / Ominous / Sickly. Dark sound design. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 75 BPM]
Dark and disturbing, horror underscore. Dark sound design with twitchy musical elements. Sickly / Confused / In disarray. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
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]
Dark synths create a fearful, brooding atmosphere for this ambient track, while quiet, slow paced percussion rhythms keep it moving. For horror or Halloween films. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 55 BPM]
Orchestral action piece with huge brass and drums implying suspense and building tension. Think espionage-laden chase. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 90 BPM]
A dark, ambient track that showcases atmospheric synths and a short but intense percussion build at the end. For horror films or thrillers. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 67 BPM]
An atmospheric dramatic track that begins with light piano and synths and expands with the addition of strings, electric guitar, and heavy drums. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 64 BPM]
A mandolin and strings powered look into a dark and dirty world. The space created by the atmospheric music is reminiscent of films like Babel and Syriana. Tortured flute amplifies the tension; whatever is about to happen can't be good! [Tempo: Slow / 135 BPM]
Tense orchestral piece. Pulsing drums and strings, abrasive brass and drums, haunting textures and an overall suspenseful pursuit. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 98 BPM]
A sharp hit begins this brooding, sinister horror track, which features suspenseful, ambient synth swells and atmospheric string effects. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 55 BPM]
Driving string ostinatos begin this tension filled track, featuring cool synth lines, ambient pads, piano, and grooving drum beats. Good for an adventurous reality game show or an action packed thriller. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 86 BPM]
A pulsating bass synth along with mysterious piano and pads and sparse but driving drum rhythms begin this tension filled action track, which builds with excitement and intensity. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 96 BPM]
A mysterious cloud of sounds made up of guitar effects and synths creates a sense of subtle uneasiness. About halfway in, the action intensifies with big drums ushering in a sense of urgency. The music later dissolves to the same sense of mystery it started with. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 95 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]
This track starts with a strong sense of mystery and tension, like there’s a real danger lurking. Huge action drums come in later, bringing the track to a huge conclusion. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 112 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]
Ominous and tense. Orchestra, drums and haunting textures build suspense throughout. [Tempo: Medium / 156 BPM]
A modern, pumped up and ready to rumble composition of big drums, guitars and electronics. Will work great in a UFC or WWF environment or pre-fight analysis. Will also work well in areas such as gaming, racing, competition, contact sports and even technology. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
Edgy rocky, heavy ambient industrial. Sort of ambient electronic at the beginning. Kicks off towards the end of track with a build up. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 105 BPM]
Sexy, Romatic, Edgy, Ambient Electronica. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
Edgy ambient/rock, heavy, dark, industrial. Sort of ambient electronic at the beginning. Kicks off towards the end of track with a build up. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 105 BPM]
Ambient / Electronica / Film score. Forward motion with Orchestral drum. Lingering. Pensive. Suspicious. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 100 BPM]
Electric track with drone type of sound. Dark / Sci-fi etc. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
An dark, electronic / orchestral crossover track with drama. Slow string runs that are backed by legato strings along with the low cello. Emotional strings build up to the first big hit that features a massive distorted synthesizer and mega brass drone hits. The main drop is heavy with distorted drums and high pitched strings. The track keeps building with a big riser to a massive final hit. Suitable for trailers, sci-fi, war / scenes of battle, conflict, escape, rescue mission etc. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 75 BPM]
A tense and spooky scene is evoked with orchestra and an optional piano track. Creepy and evolving, suitable for dark, evil passages. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
Beginning with a dark and eerie bass drone filled with suspense and intrigue and accompanied by old west style guitar licks, this down-tempo trip hop trickle evolves into a full scale torrent of aggressive, slamming rock guitar driven mayhem. Ideal for gaming - especially cut scenes - but also great for use in extreme sports and advertising. The tension rises... this can only end one way! [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 58 BPM]
Dramatic rising cinematic track driven by powerful percussion. The track begins calmly and builds to a powerful conclusion. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 70 BPM]
Intense drama themed piece that uses driving percussion and urgent strings to full effect. It relentlessly builds to a dramatic conclusion.
[Tempo: Medium, Fast / 130 BPM]