Complex sentence: A second studio album had been in progress ever since the summer of 2007, and was finished as "Prior to the Fire" in the fall of 2008, but was constantly impeded before, during, and after being recorded.
Split into simpler sentences: A second studio album had been in progress ever since the summer of 2007, and was finished as "Prior to the Fire" in the fall of 2008. The album, however, was constantly impeded before, during, and after being recorded.