It is a legitimate subgenre, bands like Job For A Cowboy and Winds Of Plague are legitimate metal bands, no matter how much I dislike either one, the rest are more towards the not metal side.
Guitar solos have nothing to do with if it's Metal or not. A lot of Grindcore doesn't have solos either, but no one would argue that Grindcore is Metal.
Well it boils down to what traits it shows more. Deathcore is half Death Metal, half Hardcore, so a band like Emmure, is a Deathcore band that shows a LOT of Hardcore influence, and is more on the Hardcore side, only Metal thing about them is the Death Metal growls. But a band like WhiteChapel in no way shows stronger Hardcore influence over Metal influence. The only Hardcore thing about WhiteChapel is the breakdowns actually. They're definitely a part of Metal. I wouldn't say Emmure is though.
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I sense it.
A lot of Grindcore doesn't have solos either, but no one would argue that Grindcore is Metal.