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 hybrid orchestral track with special effects, big pounding percussion, orchestra and choir. Rousing, aggressive, and majestic. Dark / Ominous / Tense. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 63 BPM]
Tension-filled background music for thriller, suspense and tension. Pulsating synths with percussion. Great for police operation, swat team, crime in progress, stakeout, spy / undercover and more. Besides the main track, this piece also comes as several seamless loops which can be used in combination with each other to 'build' the soundtrack needed for a scene, in a modular way. Simply place the different loops on the timeline, in a way that matches your on-screen action, or blend, combine, crop and join the loop pieces to create your own 'version' of the track. [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
Dramatic and mysterious piano, accompanied by harp and strings. Inspired by soap opera music cliches. [Tempo: Medium / 0 BPM]
A orchestral hybrid royalty free music cue, the use of 70's / 80's synths in combination with the common orchestra, this piece has a modern Sci-Fi feel with an A-list Hollywood production. The use of orchestral hits throughout this cue gives momentum and pace to any scene, as the piece concludes it ranges in dynamics to give the most dramatic end. Dramatic / Tension / Apocalypse Music. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
Eerie, tense, percussive soundscape with a relentless spooky melody, dark metalic FX and flute sweeps. Atmospheric with a sense of suspense and imminent danger. Menacing and sinister. 48 hours, The Mentalist, Castle, Alien Invasion, crime drama, horror, Sci-Fi. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 105 BPM]
Epic, powerful and grand orchestral rock track with many sonic colours that starts quietly and beautifully but gradually builds into a monster as guitars crash in like a tidal wave. Would suit high drama/cinematic projects. [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
A menace lurks in the shadows, slowly creeping towards it's victim. OR: Someone enters a house, to make a gruesome discovery... Full orchestra with synth horror atmospherics. Ends with a big bang! [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 55 BPM]
A tense and uneasy soundtrack cue for a dangerous situation. Dark, ominous, threatening, foreboding. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 80 BPM]
Staccato and nervous, orchestral tension underscore. Undercover, dangerous mission. Few French horns 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. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 97 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, Very fast / 150 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 modern sounding trailer style epic dramatic action music track, blending glitchy style digital synths and electronic drum loops with traditional orchestral scoring parts. Great for big blockbuster action films, sci fi, adventure and trailers. [Tempo: Medium / 105 BPM]
This track has an eerie and deranged mood. It has hints of psychosis and insanity and features the main melody played on a detuned toy music box. It would be well suited for footage and video games about horror, suspense, fantasy and paranormal subject matter. [Tempo: Slow / 0 BPM]
Dark, aggressive Score track with hard, distorted e-guitars, synths and metallic industrial drumsounds. Energetic and menacing. Good for action and suspense. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
A pensive and mystical, semi-orchestral music track with staccato strings and a sense of tension building. Dramatic / Thriller / Crime Music. [Tempo: Medium / 80 BPM]
A pulsing synthesizer sets the tone for a dark atmosphere in the beginning. Drums with a hint of bit-crushed distortion build up and then quiet down before a massive drop. The main drop hits with a huge impact of drums and low bass. Layered in electronic melody gives the track a modern and edgy feel, but keeps a serious tone. Resembles "Tron Legacy" soundtrack. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 70 BPM]
A dark, unsettling cinematic backdrop. Uneasy / Gloomy / Mysterious. [Tempo: Slow / 94 BPM]
Dark and mysterious Score track with strings, horn section, sound effects and energetic percussions. Very atmospheric, dramatic and highly diversified. Ideal for thriller and all kinds of suspense. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 165 BPM]
A pensive, tense, ominous orchestral track with an an undercurrent of conflict, suspicion, malevolence. Like two enemies stalking each other, measuring each other up for a fight. Also good as a general film score cue for tense moments, time running out, perhaps manhunt, etc. [Tempo: Slow, Medium, Fast / 130 BPM]
An epic dark medieval fantasy music with a unique ensemble of authentic medieval instruments and drums and hypnotic throat singing. This track captures a spirit of adventure and the fight to survive. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 120 BPM]
Unique blend of regal strings and horns and hefty guitars. The verse is a slow grooving electro beat which builds slowly via a b section of clean swirling guitar and lamenting vocal loops into an explosion of guitars and drums. Very filmically dramatic, intense and quite unexpected. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 75 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 / 150 BPM]
A lonely music box melody builds to a full orchestra before ending as it begins. Dark, tense and climactic but not too scary, family oriented horror. Good for trailers, video games, cartoons, halloween, quirky Tim Burton type films and even commercials. [Tempo: Slow / 70 BPM]
Dark, moody, modern action track. Percussion based with electronic and rock elements. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 86 BPM]
Modern rock tune featuring a bass guitar riff and sparse synths with a serious attitude. Dark and mysterious. This track almost has an eerie feel with an infectious groove. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 86 BPM]
Action or Sports underscore. Epic and heroic, with a dark edge. Pound for Pound Best in the world. Track builds in waves to the finish. [Tempo: Medium / 120 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]
Powerful, dramatic orchestral track with a sense of an imminent attack about to happen. Danger, conflict, tension, preparing to go to battle, not knowing what awaits. This film score style track has a cinematic, epic sound, great for action, adventure, thriller type productions. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 110 BPM]
Driving Score track with e-guitars, effects and heavy drum / percussion sounds. Edgy, menacing and aggressive. Good for action, pursuits and thrilling fight scenes. [Tempo: Slow, Fast / 85 BPM]
Begins with fast paced electro/rock underscore. Distorted guitars and sounds design are prevalent throughout. At mid-point, the entire orchestra joins in with a trailer-esque choir which builds to a final crescendo with brass stabs for impact. [Tempo: Fast / 150 BPM]
Atmospheric horror. For dark, brooding scenes, especially sci fi. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
A dark dystopian landscape with a driving rhythmic bass, pounding drums and blistering feedback. Resolves at 1:10 with a huge sweeping chord. [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
This frightening music bed has apocalyptic overtones and would be well suited for, horror, thriller, or fantasy footgae about paranormal and occult subject matter as well as video-games and trailers. Its suggests something evil lurking, and makes for a nice tension builder that features an intense, climactic riser. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 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]
Ominous and tense. Orchestra, drums and haunting textures build suspense throughout. [Tempo: Medium / 156 BPM]
Electronic underscore with large percussion, warm synth tones, buzzy synth appregios and complex Moog undertones. Sports, Crime, Automotive. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
An edgy and tense action track. Pounding percussion and staccato strings provide the forward-driving energy, and occasional blaring horns and an ethnic lute join in from time to time to provide additional drama and a bit of ethnic mystery to the intense action music. Suitable for tension, action, urgent operations, etc. (Stem files available.) [Tempo: Fast / 125 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]
A dynamic and evolving orchestral track. Full of twists and turns - darkness and danger turns to light and enchantment. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
Synth and orchestra, in the style of modern thrillers like the Bourne movies. The music keeps the suspense going yet doesn't get big or overly busy. Perfect under dialog. Perhaps someone is being followed, without their knowledge. Things are quiet now, but conflict looms ahead. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 87 BPM]
Tense / Bustling / Active / Urgent / Mystical / Pulsating Music. Small orchestra soundtrack piece, featuring live performed orchestral instruments, suitable as music for film and other media. [Tempo: Fast / 160 BPM]
Electronic underscore with warm piano, spacey synthesizer and lush pads. Explorer, keep moving forward feel. Mystical, eerie. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
High-intensity, electronic film trailer music, with strong, unrelenting bass and drum tracks and an ever-building array of orchestral instruments. The grand instrumentation and driving energy provide a clear sense of urgency that climbs until the very final moments of the piece. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
A dark, brooding underscore for mystery and tension. Sci-fi / Futuristic; can also be desert / wasteland, abandoned warehouse or other location. Doom laden, cold, desolate. Threatening / uneasy. There is also a "No Drums" version which works well as a dark ambient background track. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
Electronic drone underscore with futuristic undertones. Intrigue feel, with military snare, unique rhythms. Feature Nord Lead Synth. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
A rather intense mix of orchestral and electronic music. It's progressive construction makes it a pretty good fit to any story based energetic montage. [Tempo: Medium / 88 BPM]
A contemporary, cinematic music track with an intriguing and captivating vibe. Featuring piano, strings, glockenspiel, atmospheric pads and orchestral percussion. Great for dynamic action scenes in films, TV and documentaries. [Tempo: Medium / 125 BPM]
Eerie, tense, percussive soundscape with a relentless spooky melody, dark metalic FX and flute sweeps. Atmospheric with a sense of suspense and imminent danger. Menacing and sinister. 48 hours, The Mentalist, Castle, Alien Invasion, crime drama, horror, Sci-Fi. [Tempo: Medium / 100 BPM]
Horror Mystery Soundtrack. Dark / Violent / Chaotic / Insanity / Twisted. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]
Suspense soaked riff rocker which uses simple berimbau lines, clean atmospheric guitars and great big dirty guitars. Great repeated build and release. The last time has a soaring lead guitar solo. In parts, slightly reminiscent of Failure and even Nirvana. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 92 BPM]
