Joseph McGrail-Bateup recorded a scream of 122.4 decibels, a volume comparable to that of a chainsaw or an ambulance siren heard up close.
An Australian has earned a place in the record books after being officially recognized as the loudest person in the worldbeating a mark that had lasted more than three decades.
Joseph McGrail-Bateupa 58-year-old air conditioning cleaning professional from Canberra, was recently awarded a Guinness World Record for producing the loudest scream ever recorded by an individual. Your thunderous cry of the word “now” reached 122.4 decibelssurpassing the previous record of 121.7 decibels set in 1994 by Northern Irish teacher Annalisa Flanagan.
The volume of McGrail-Bateup’s scream is comparable to the noise of a chainsaw, a jet plane taking off or the siren of an ambulance, heard up close. Despite the achievement, the Australian stated that the feat required more endurance than preparation.
“There is no way to train for this. You just have to do it on the day, especially when it’s a world record attempt,” McGrail-Bateup told . “It took me seven tries just for one word, which was ‘now’, and my voice was hoarse for the next two days. It was hoarse. It was horrible. So no, you can’t train for that. But it’s a lot of fun when you’re doing it,” he added.
Rather than claim the title of loudest person in the world, McGrail-Bateup prefers to describe himself as the loudest man in the world. As Flanagan’s tally remains the highest ever recorded by a woman, he believes both achievements deserve separate recognition.
The inspiration for the record came from his role as Canberra’s official herald, a ceremonial role he has held since 2017. Known professionally as “Lord Joseph”, he performs public announcements at community eventsschool fairs and car shows. The position also led to him joining the Ancient and Honorable Guild of Australian Town Criers, an organization dedicated to preserving historic tradition.
McGrail-Bateup had already built a reputation as a vocal powerhouse within the guild. In 2024, it won a competition with a 98 decibel version of the traditional war cry “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez”used to attract attention before making public announcements.
For the world record attempt, he tried several words before deciding that “agora” (now) offered the best chance of success. The scream was recorded on May 2nd in a radio studio in Canberra, under the supervision of a professional acoustic engineer and in the presence of witnesses. Guinness World Records officially confirmed the achievement last week.
This isn’t McGrail-Bateup’s first record. In 2019, it briefly held a world archery speed recordbefore being overtaken by a seven-year-old competitor. Reflecting on his latest success, the Australian says he would welcome anyone who could break it with open arms.
“Records exist to be broken“, these.
