Royalty Free Dark / Somber Music

Dark suspense track. With gothic overtones thanks to the choral themes and cinematic fantasy thanks to the repeated glockenspiel and piano motifs, the horror seeds are planted early on to generate the brooding atmosphere. With a deep, rolling bass line and booming percussion enhanced by synth drops, brass rasps and jagged strings, it soon becomes a nightmarish mix of ominous energy and overwhelming helplessness.

A slow-tempo, emotional acoustic folk song with rich orchestral string section background and an overall sad, melancholic feel

Edgy orchestral track. Starting with a fast moving string theme and percussion, deep chimes ring in the ominous dread approaching. Building in intensity, and dropping out, become able suspense techniques throughout, as does contrasting the doom with light playful passages on strings, woodwinds or xylophone. Slurred legato violins apply textured expression and rich brass adds an aggressive feel to create a dramatic, mysterious and epic composition.

Modern pop ballad with innovative drops into house, techno and trap styles. Melodic singer/songwriter verses transform into harder hitting synth-heavy textured choruses, but the overall story never gets lost throughout - regret, loneliness and the difficulty of moving on. Very well crafted with a great sense of pace and change.

Enchanting orchestral epic. Magical and mysterious in its gently flowing piano lines and shimmering high strings, it builds on the theme with faster string ostinato and legato melodies, gradually turning into a deeper, more epic interpretation with added brass, woodwind and percussion. Without limiting yourself to the fantasy genre as it works for many other situations, think more 'fairies and elves showing their powers' than 'horsemen of the apocalypse'.

Dark and suspenseful ambient track with piano and electronic elements

An emotional, inspiring piano instrumental with orchestral background and a powerful, resonant percussion

Orchestral (hybrid) track, featuring piano, strings, brass and FX. A lulling, yet dissonant piano theme takes centre stage, accompanied by legato violins and various chilling percussive effects to a sharp climax, before returning to the more sedate, yet unsettling motif. Edgy and intense, with an unresolved ending.  

A dramatic, thought provoking composition led by a cinematic grand piano, accompanied by orchestral strings and a soft choir. Very gentle, with a rawness and an exposed feel thanks to the mechanicals of the felted piano - a slow builder, full of calming waves and heavenly apparitions with a lurking sense of intrigue and brooding mystery.

Epic and aggressive trailer music. Short and direct, you get big drum impacts boosted by distorted synth, developing into a warped and intense theme with accented string shorts. Cinematic and industrial with a powerful rhythmic beat, it's not going to fit with anything less than 'giant' on the awesome scale.

A dark, ambient cinematic theme, with edgy pulses, drones, echoing beats and creepy textures. Gently animated by a delayed rhythmic momentum, it is rich and soft, with ominous chordal progressions and a variety of synth tones weaving a seductive web around the brooding lair that it creates - a mysterious dark hole full of tension and curiosity.

A trippy, ethereal ambient background track with white noise and synth textures evoking a mysterious, uncertain mood

Ethereal and mysterious classical piece. Woodwinds accompany a celeste theme to open, followed by more diversity from the orchestra as the track unravels. Slow and creeping, creating suspense and wonder in equal measure, it's a simple yet well crafted work with a cinematic touch.

An atmospheric orchestral hybrid track. From a calm, arpeggiated piano intro, backed by searing synth pads and textures, the piece develops through a pulsing section into a vibrant, majestic theme using string ostinato and choral pads, grounded by light, driving percussion. Followed by an evocative violin lead over the main theme, it continues to take us on a soothing, yearning voyage of discovery and wonder.  

Emotionally sombre piano track based on a simple chord progression. Hauntingly sorrowful, deeply pensive and openly honest, it's a slow moving composition that builds beautifully with elegant strings to reveal a deeper and more involved sound. Calming, but undeniably sad.

A powerful orchestral cinematic theme with resonant strings, big drum hits and strong brass section

I'm going to call this one garage metal due to its overall raw old school tone, but it still has a modern punch, thanks mainly to the powerful, compressed assault you get from the drums. Aggressive, distorted and at times dissonant, it has all the angst and energy associated with the heavier end of the genre - fast rhythm picking, double bass blast beats and downtuned bass guitar all playing their part to bring you an unsettling and tense instrumental of dark heaviness.

Tranquil piano ambience with a deeply mysterious edge. It's a simple theme using delay and reverb for movement and space, given diversity through unexpected time changes and sprinkled with sound design elements. Definitely dark, but more in wonder and suspense than anything sinister ...... or is it?

Orchestral hybrid tension builder. Starting purely synth based with rapid arpeggiated chords, the intensity subtly and gradually increases with added electro bass, then choir, then industrial drum beat. String and brass stabs highlight the dramatic mood, swells enhance the suspense and the ceaseless underlying rhythm racks up the tension til the end. Cinematic action with a strong electro presence.

Melancholy strings with an underlying glimmer of hope - just enough to give us a welcome dose of optimism even if the times are dark. Atmospheric and cinematic in style, it's a gentle and pensive track with accenting piano and angelic airs to help breathe life into the soul-searching somberness, with lilting cello and violin taking the lead. Effective, moving and honest - so have the tissues ready.