Look here for royalty-free underscores for Mystery and Suspense. Whether you're working on the scene where a mutilated body is found, or you're designing a video game where the hero sneaks around a deserted space ship, this area will provide sneaky, creepy and suspenseful music tracks. Much of this is orchestral music, but not all. Also electronic and more experimental musical sounds are used to create these tracks; most of which are subtle, ambient underscores, rather than up-front, brash compositions.
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]
A very pensive underscore track, suitable for drama or thriller. Thoughtful, a sense of time passing, clues coming into place. Starts out with a simple piano and grows in intensity towards a frantic crescendo at about 01:15 before returning to the original, sparse theme once again. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 139 BPM]
Space, sci-fi soundtrack material. Epic composition with orchestral arrangement, inspired by Babylon 5, Cosmos and other space series. Emotional, fluttering, with a strong sense of discovery and new frontiers. [Tempo: Slow / 0 BPM]
Electronic music, spatial, deep and heroic mood. Modern electronic sounds, dark and deep pads which morph to electronic grooves and base and synth lines. Electronica, Filmscore/Cinematic. Mysterious/Futuristic, Technologic/Scientific, Spatial, Liquid, Hypnotic. Ambient textures, Synth Pad, Synth Bass, Synthesizers. Tech/Sci-Fi. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
Film / TV Series / Game underscore track. Both ambient and rhythmic, the track has a strong sense of a stealth mission. Sneaking, hiding, sniping, etc. In addition to the main mix, there is also an 'alternative mix' that cuts out some of the instruments, leaving a more sparse sound, perhaps even better for background use. Of the 8 loops available, the first 5 are taken from the main mix and the last 3 from the alternative mix. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 108 BPM]
An emotional but subtle film soundtrack score. Strings and piano, good for drama, personal reflection. Introspective, hopeful but apprehensive. [Tempo: Slow / 50 BPM]
A grand and epic track that depicts a fantasy world or an amazing story of wonderment, perhaps magic. Starts off carefully and grows to a crescendo / climax towards the end. [Tempo: Medium / 111 BPM]
Rough, funky guitar riffs. Determined, forceful, aggressive, confident. Big Beat style rhythm, taking no prisoners and combining elements of techno, post-industrial techno, mech/tech, raw power, etc. Good for hard edgy visual presentations, sports / extreme sports, fighting and brawling, gritty motorsports, filmscore / action or chase scenes and more. [Tempo: Fast / 90 BPM]
Australian Didgeridoo combined with powerful percission elements. Tense / Ominous / Action feel. Great for travel or history, documentaries and specials. [Tempo: Medium / 0 BPM]
A dark, grand orchestral climax, dominated by brass and strings. Great to use in a horror scene where the bad guy gets killed, as there is a hint of victory about it, left with a question mark with the tracks abrupt end. Also good for dramatic scenes of emergency, rescue, fire and real-life dangerous situations etc. The track 'takes off' at about 45 seconds in. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]
A very dramatic and grippingly emotional epic composition with orchestral, choral, and world instruments with middle-eastern colors. This piece starts with a very mysterious and vast introduction before a rise to a driving and almost tragic emotional climax. Perfect for trailers. [Tempo: Very fast / 120 BPM]
A fantasy ambient track made with various orchestral and acoustic instruments. Mystery / Wonderment / Thoughtful / Dreamy. [Tempo: Slow / 120 BPM]
Minimal percussion, an eerie electric piano, pads and distant voices, all help build an atmosphere of sadness, melancholy and regret. Soft and delicate with a few harsh elements that keep a subtle tension... Thinking of what could have been, a life wasted, light rain falling on the pavement. [Tempo: Slow / 90 BPM]
A series of 4 pieces of textural, ambient, musical soundscapes. Suitable for documentary, cultural, history, archeology, travel and exploration, mystery and more. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
Smooth and Dramatic Music. Features synth keyboard along with modern hip-hop drums to give a mysterious, slightly edgy feeling. [Tempo: Slow / 68 BPM]
A dark and cinematic orchestral piece. Driving percussion tracks combine with darkly harmonized strings and an Indian vocal flair to create a sense of tension and urgency. [Tempo: Slow / 75 BPM]
A musical landscape with a taste of the sound of the Middle East and a subtle touch of modern instruments. An aura of seduction and mystery music. [Tempo: Medium / 115 BPM]
Tires squealing, sirens blaring, adrenalin flowing... The Chase begins. Dramatic, suspenseful, powerful track mixing electronic and orchestral elements: after a softer bridge the main theme is repeated with a fuller arrangement. Suitable for a CSI style tv show or as an opening title score for a thriller or action movie. [Tempo: Fast / 140 BPM]
Tense strings, guitars and synths work together to create an unsettled tone that works well with exterior night shots or underlining tension between characters. [Tempo: Medium / 63 BPM]
Science or investigation underscore track. Spatial and transparent in sound. Good for sci-tech, analysis, forensics, information technology, biology, chemistry, medicine, info-tech, investigative journalism. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 119 BPM]
Slow, pensive, introspective underscore for drama & storytelling. Pensive, somewhat dark / sombre. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 55 BPM]
Epic and dramatic with many suspense and action sections. Strong and catchy melody. Orchestral with contemporary percussion grooves makes this piece very accessible and suitable to a huge range of productions and media applications. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
This orchestral cinematic cue contains two parts/sections. The first 30 seconds has a strong tension and a rhythmic pulse, with a foreboding, dark tone. The second part, from about 30 seconds onwards, is more melancholic, sorrowful and wistful, with a sense of loss or realization. [Tempo: Slow / 90 BPM]
A creature from beyond time and space appears, accompanied by massive, cinematic, trailer-style orchestra and choir! [Tempo: Fast / 151 BPM]
'Dark Ages' is a collection of 12 dark, ambient, semi-orchestral tracks. The music has a sense of history and mythology, making these tracks highly suitable as a soundtrack for historical drama, history / documentary as well as medieval/fantasy material, be it films, fantasy games, TV or installations. The music is mostly without any outstanding melody, making it highly usable as background texture and ambient underscore. It leaves room for dialogue and/or other audio elements, without competing. Some of the tracks carry a sense of mystery and danger, whilst others lean more towards horror and sci-fi. All 12 parts share a sense of lurking danger, impending tragedy, conflict and betrayal. The arrangements are dominated by dark drones and pads, piano, cello and resonant overtones. Also available are 9 seamless music loops from this collection. [Tempo: Slow / 58 BPM]
Pattern based 20th Century minimalist music. Surreal, Rhythmic, Underscore, Tension. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 132 BPM]
A dark ambience to hi-light the grim features of serious moments. For crime-related scenes and situations, dark drama, psychological drama. Also for scifi. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
A very ambient and moody downtempo track with droning synths, strings, optional spoken vocals and chilled drum groove. Ethereal and somewhat mysterious. Suitable for TV and film dramas, science, technology, documentaries, dark tales and hypnotic states of mind. [Tempo: Slow / 70 BPM]
Surreal, mystical music with a hint of darkness and melancholy. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
Ethnic, earthy, exotic and mystical vibes. Sparse, transparent, foreboding and mysterious music. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 91 BPM]
A dark, ambient, somewhat dangerous feeling Ethnic / Mystery soundtrack. A deep drone with multiple layers of haunting, mysterious, ethnic instruments. Can be Eastern / Orient or really any ancient, mysterious place. Somewhat disturbing, uneasy. Available with our without the haunting vocal wails. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 100 BPM]
Starting in a pensive and dark mood, this orchestral action trailer cue rises up to a spine-tingling, hair-raising climax. Orchestra and choir combined with samples to create a huge, majestic Hollywood style production. Suitable for movie trailer, action, war or battle footable, unspeakable monsters or an awesome war machine. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 76 BPM]
A unique combination of processed piano, bowed banjo and strings. A mood of reflection, sadness and a sense of time passing. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 90 BPM]
An intense sequence of pulsating rhythms that indicate action and risk. Electronic / Undercover / Technology Music. [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
A track of uneasy discord and mysterious twists and turns. A disturbed mind, a fragile sanity? [Tempo: Medium / 120 BPM]
A gloomy, moody, atmospheric fantasy soundscape suitable as an underscore / backdrop to a mysterious and dark world. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 120 BPM]
A fluttering, somewhat strange and alien sounding, ethnic / world soundtrack. Available with or without a soprano vocal track, this piece has a sense of movement, perhaps grand open vistas, awe inspiring sights and locations. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow, Medium / 100 BPM]
Mysterious, exotic, mellow and alluring track featuring Dholak and Khartal percussion, Tambura drones, Ethnic Flute and Upright Bass. Sets the tone for nature, travel, documentaries and movie scenes in need of a moody eastern theme. [Tempo: Slow / 86 BPM]
This track has hard driving guitars and drums with some electronic elements. Also has elements of industrial rock. Very aggressive track. This track has an edgy, dark feel and evokes images of modern day Metal meets Doom. Good for dark, aggressive media shots in need of metal you can make sense out of. [Tempo: Fast / 170 BPM]
A mysterious and magical, cinematic / orchestral soundtrack. Harp and bells with angelic voices and fragile violins tell a tale of dreams and wonder. Perhaps pixies or other strange creatures of magic and wonderment. Somewhat similar in feel to Aquarium from the Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens. Magic / Magical / Adventure / Family movie / Mystery / Intrigue. (A note about the version described as 'Stage Mix': This version is recorded with the reverb/ambiance of a concert hall, making it sound somewhat more 'distant' from the listener and, some would say, more 'live') [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 88 BPM]
A rich, alluring and mysterious theme. Live orchestra with dark percussion and a single soprano voice. A sense of the otherworldly, unexpected, mystery and intrigue. Psychological thriller, fantasy or adventure. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 78 BPM]
An upbeat ethnic track featuring Oud, ethnic percussion and woodwinds. Middle East, North Africa. Exploration, adventure, discovery, travel to exotic places. Bright, positive, lively. Perhaps Egypt, Turkey, Marocco or other Arabic, Islamic places. [Tempo: Medium / 71 BPM]
Emotional and reflective cinematic music track featuring dreamy piano, strings, bass and modern drumbeat. Begins with a slightly melancholic melody and evolves to a more dramatic contemporary orchestral hybrid sound. [Tempo: Medium, Fast / 125 BPM]
Dark ambient, Horror underscore. Mysterious / Suspicious / Ominous. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 80 BPM]
Creepy orchestration suggests an approaching evil menace or a supernatural event. Steeped in suspense, this dark, sinister piece builds towards a horrific & sudden conclusion. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 0 BPM]
A repetitive and ominous bass starts and is joined by a sprinkling of dreamy and peaceful piano, harp and strings creating a nice contrast. Great for movies, documentaries, TV drama, corporate projects and short films. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 110 BPM]
Modern horror material. After a surreal opening part with high piano notes and scattered noise, the track brings in a staccato, stabbing distorted guitar riff. [Tempo: Very slow, Slow / 75 BPM]
Synth arpeggios hypnotize as they grow in intensity, a drum groove joins in then thick walls of fuzzy guitars. Suddenly you're powering forward with huge impetus. A unique track with a few surprising twists and turns. Jump aboard if you can handle it. [Tempo: Fast / 130 BPM]
Ambient underscore with an "icy" feeling to it. It works perfectly for informational video, medical documentary or drama, or particularly well for nature shows concerning geology, global warming etc... [Tempo: Slow / 101 BPM]
Saturn from The Planets suite by Gustav Holst. Recorded exclusively for Shockwave-Sound.com by D Hamilton. [Tempo: Slow, Medium / 0 BPM]